


Wanderlust

by CleverPervertedPriest



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Hololive Japan, Hololive Vtubers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 111,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25803610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CleverPervertedPriest/pseuds/CleverPervertedPriest
Summary: A young town guard leaves her home to become an adventurer. (Crosspost from ff.net)
Comments: 32
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_My name is Oozora Subaru. I come from the fishing and port town of Isshoudai which was on an island far from the mainland. I live with my parents outside the walls as they were mainly farmers. I was an only child and had few friends as I mainly helped my parents a lot. When I came of age, I decided to join the town guard as I heard that they earned more money than a farmer. The few years I spent as a guard helped put food on the table a lot more often than normal and I am really thankful for that._

_Occasionally, we get a visitor or two from the mainland, and often times they were very strange looking. They sometimes muttered strange languages to themselves that I've never heard before. It made me wonder what was out there, beyond the little port town. So, when I saved more than enough money, I decided to go out into the world and explore. An adventure!_

* * *

A young lady stood outside a modest wooden house next to a large field. She bowed to two people in front of her, a man and a woman, both older than she was. She was of medium height with brown hair styled short, making her look almost like a boy. "I'm taking my leave now, Mother, Father," she said respectfully before straightening herself.

"My little girl has grown up so much," the woman cried out as she hugged her daughter, "I'll worry so much."

"Ma, don't. I can rely on my training so I'll be alright," she said as she returned the hug.

"It's the parent's job to worry, Subaru," stated her father as he took his turn to hug, "Just make sure to take care of yourself and come home safely."

"Yes, sir!" the young lady exclaimed as she grinned and gave him a playful salute. He returned with a sad smile and a nod.

"Goodbye. I'll be back soon," she said as her parting words as she made her way to the port, adjusting the backpack on her shoulders, "Count on it."

It didn't take long for her to enter the city and go to the harbourmaster's office.

"Hello, Old Man Saru! Are there any ships going out?" she called out jovially.

"For the last time, it's Masaru, not Old Man Saru," grumbled the harbourmaster good-naturedly, "And yes, there is a ship going out today. They are currently restocking and will be ready to go in half an hour. The ticket is two gold pieces."

"Okay," she replied as she dipped her fingers into her belt pouch and pulled the required amount.

"Right, I suppose you can wait at the teahouse one house that way," he stated as he thumbed the direction.

"Thanks for everything, old man," she said happily as she took her ticket and started to make a move.

"Oh, and keep an eye out for another passenger," he told her just as she stepped in the doorway, "A lady wearing a long brown robe with a hood. She should be at the teahouse too. Better remind her when the boat's leaving."

"Alright!" she called out before walking eagerly to the teahouse. From what she heard, the past owner had died and it was sold to someone who had turned it into an inn, the second-floor rooms being rented out. The new owner was some sort of wolf lady named Mio.

She immediately entered and sat down at the table. As expected, Mio came to wait at the table and greeted, "Welcome to the Jolly Tuna, how may I help you?"

"Ah, just a cup of tea please," Subaru ordered politely.

"Certainly, I will be back," the pretty wolf lady said as she went to the kitchen.

Subaru sat there patiently while looking around. The teahouse part of the building hadn't changed at all. Granted it was still morning, so there weren't that many people here. Only an old couple who were frequent customers here. Mio quickly came back to the table with her tea.

"Here is your tea, dear. Do you need anything else?" the wolf lady asked.

"Well… when I bought my ticket, Old Saru said there was another passenger staying here," said the former city guard as she paused to blow on her hot tea, "Just to remind her when the boat is leaving, that's all."

"Oh, she's upstairs. I can help to tell her if you want?" the innkeeper asked.

"Oh, sure, thanks!" the former said with a grin.

"My pleasure," the latter replied with a smile as she moved to go upstairs.

Subaru sat at the table, slowly sipping and enjoying her tea. However, she heard loud steps coming down the stairs and Mio hurried over to the old couple and whispered a few words. They got up and shuffled slowly out of the teahouse. She came to her table and whispered, "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to leave now. Tea is on the house."

"Eh? Why?"

"No time to explain, I have to go," the wolf lady said curtly before rushing out like her tail was on fire.

Puzzled, she got up and went to the stairs, hoping to satisfy her curiosity. Peeking up the wooden steps, she caught sight of a lady peeking down. Two things stood out about her. First was two black horns curving out from the front of her head snaking and curving to the side, conforming to the shape of her skull. The second was her deep, bright blue eyes. Both of them froze.

"D-d-d-demon?" Subaru muttered in shock as she tumbled backward in surprise while the other person ducked out of sight, A second later, she heard a door slam shut. Then, Mio showed up with a few of the town watch.

"Give me a moment and we can settle this fast," the wolf lady requested as she dashed to the backroom.

"Erm, Sergeant Yu, do you..." started the former guard but the man in charge shook his head and muttered, "Sorry, but officially, you've resigned, so I can't let you help. Miss Mio did say you have a ship to catch."

Subaru stood there for a moment, at first wanting to help, but the opportunity to leave the island was what eventually swayed her to go on her way. The sergeant was right, after all, she wasn't part of the guard anymore. She hurried down to the docks and walked up to the more well-dressed captain waiting at the only ship there. After presenting her ticket, she marched up the gangplank, went to the opposite side of the ship, and stared out in awe. The bright blue sea. It looked really beautiful right about now.

As the rest of the crew followed the captain on board, they pulled up the gangplank and got ready to set sail. As the ship began to pull away, she noticed a flying figure suddenly appear in the sky over the city which made her jaw drop.

* * *

Choco slammed the door shut and quickly took stock of her room. She had already packed most of her stuff in her pack and by sheer bad luck, someone had to catch sight of her without her hood. She grit her teeth and decided to make her own exit. Suddenly, she could hear a loud commotion moving up the steps.

" _What? That was fast_!" she thought to herself in surprise, amazed that the city watch reacted so quickly.

Taking in a deep breath, she dashed straight at the window and crashed through the flimsy, wooden panes. A pair of wings burst out at shoulder level, ripping through her robe easily. With a beat, she steadied herself. Subsequent flaps helped her to rise and catch the flow of wind. She soared through the air accompanied by shocked cries below. A few flaps kept her airborne and that was enough to let her reach the boat she was supposed to take. Landing gracefully, she gave the surprised captain her ticket and leaned against the rail next to a gaping human girl.

"My dear, if you don't close your mouth, something will fly inside." she chided.

The girl's mouth moved as a fish would before forming the word, "D-d-demon..."

Annoyance flashed through her eyes as she corrected, "Tiefling, girl, a tiefling. As unfortunate as my looks are, I am not a demon." The girl's mouth clicked shut immediately as Choco was given the wide-eyed stare.

"Huh, first time one of you lot flew on my ship," grumbled the captain, getting over his surprise as he shoved the ticket into his breast pocket, "Plus, that one was a local there. You're probably the first tiefling she met." With that, he retreated to his quarters.

"Huh… I see," she muttered as she glanced over to the formerly scared human girl. Pushing herself off the rail, she extended her hand and said with a smirk, "Well, let's try this again then, I'm Choco, nice to meet you."

Hesitantly, the girl reached out to shake her hand and replied, "Hi, er, I'm Oozora Subaru. Um, Oozora is my family name."

"Cute. I'll call you Subaru then," the tiefling stated as she spun around and headed below deck, unaware of the girl's blushing face and her surprised sputtering.

**AN: Hello, readers.** **I've recently been watching a lot of clips about the v-tubers from Hololive Japan. It's lovely. The more I watched, I started to wonder. What if they are characters in Dungeons and Dragons? Some of them can be converted easily. Some, a bit more difficult. So, I did. I pretty much converted many of the Hololive Japan v-tubers into D &D versions. Some scary. Some cool. Some a bit of both. Then, I started to wonder if I can use those characters in a story. And so, here it is. A ** **Hololive x D &D fic. Leave a review if you like. If not? Well. Thank you for reading. Have a good day, dear readers.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_After getting over my surprise and embarrassment, I decided to at least try and give her a chance… and hopefully, she gives me one as well. During the two days it took to get to the mainland, I got to know her a bit better. She never did say where she was from exactly, but she did say that she wanted to go against the norm. According to her, tieflings weren't seen in the best light and she wanted to change that. That's… I guess that's a good thing? Even if she looks like someone bad, she wants to do better than what other people say about her. Not sure if it's working. I guess I'll have to wait and see._

_On the third day at sea, we finally reached the port city of Huan Tuo. The morning sun was bright when one of the sailors knocked on the door and told us that we'd arrived. Truth be told, I was very eager to see this new place. The harbor had so many people! Lots of different ships too! Real Amazing! Even more surprising, Choco wanted to accompany me around._

* * *

"Eh? Why?" Subaru asked in surprise. They had just left the harbor and were now walking on the street leading to the main road.

"You're new. I doubt you know your way around the city," the tiefling reasoned, "You need someone to guide you around. And I've been in this city a few times."

"Wow, thanks," she replied with a happy grin. And then they came upon the main road, which was also wide enough to house a large market.

"Fresh fish! It's lovely!"

"Melons! Firm, round, juicy melons!"

"Apples! Oranges! Two copper for three!"

"Fresh vegetables! Freshest in the city!"

Her eyes shone in wonder. To her, compared to the market at home, this was huge. And such a variety of stuff for sale. Interestingly enough, the more perishable stuff were sold nearer to the harbor while stuff like clothes, books, and weapons were sold further out.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Subaru turned to Choco with a grin and several nods. The tiefling chuckled.

"Things will wind down in the afternoon and everyone closes shop," she informed the inquisitive girl as they continued their browsing, "The food merchants would return to their homes while the others will return to their shops since even if they don't sell anything, it still tells everyone that they could visit their open shops for the rest of the day."

"Ooh, amazing!" the former guard exclaimed. Eventually, they reached the edge of the market that led to less crowded streets. "Hi hi, that was amazing," she stated with a grin.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, but let's find a place to stay for the night," Choco informed her while stopping the both of them, "Also, have you any idea what you want to do?"

"Er… no?" she said as she shrugged sheepishly.

The tiefling rubbed her forehead for a moment before tugging her hood lower a little, "Well, I suppose we have to ask around and see if anyone needs help with anything. You're still green, so people won't exactly be confident in you handling difficult things just yet."

"I guess..." she muttered as she scratched her head.

"In the meantime, I'll show you around the city for a while," the former offered.

"Okay!"

Thus, the whirlwind tour that introduced Subaru to the main parts of the city. The harbor and market was only one part. The merchant district is where most of the permanent shops were. It was also where the smithies were, handled by both dwarven and human smiths. Then, there was the artisan and entertainment district. Beautiful art and crafts were on display. Three inns that doubled as taverns were there. At the edge of this district, near the wall, was a small slum area where the general workers and hard laborers stayed. Finally, the nobles district, where the rich people stayed. The richest part of the city and also the smallest. Granted, this was a trading port, so not many rich people here. This was where the city's leader stayed as well as where most of the administration was conducted.

"Hey, Choco. Can I ask something?" asked Subaru as both of them halted outside one of the mansions. It was evening

"You just did, but sure, ask your question," she teased.

The girl pouted a little and then, "Why are you still hiding your horns? I thought larger cities like this would be a lot more used to tieflings."

The latter stared at her for a moment before answering sadly, "Remember the first time you saw my horns? Most people would act the same way. People fear demons for good reason, and my looks do not help with that. That's why I want to try my best to change that view. To show that the sins of the forefathers do not fully reflect on their descendants. Hopefully, I won't have to hide like this anymore after that."

Subaru said nothing. Then, she stepped forward and gave the tiefling a hug, surprising her. "I believe in you," she muttered as she released her hold.

Choco smiled and said, "Cute. And thank you. Come, let's get back to the art district. We need to get a room for the night."

"Both of you will not move a muscle."

Spinning around, the two of them found a young, blonde lady dressed in rich, fine clothes. Flanking her were two guards in a red and blue uniform.

"I presume you are adventurers," she said haughtily, her arms crossed in front.

"Oh, my, who's asking?" asked Choco calmly, but preparing to run off at the first sign of trouble.

"You and your companion first, tiefling," the girl demanded.

"Ah, my name is Oozora Subaru, family name Oozora," the former guard quickly interjected, hoping to avoid a fight, "My friend's name is Choco."

"Very well. Since you gave me your name, I shall give mine. You are speaking to Haato Akai of the Red Hearts mercenary group. And, I have need of your assistance," the noble girl announced boldly.

"Eh?"

* * *

"Alright, so, what do you need help with?" asked Choco.

Haato invited both of them into her house. It was on the smaller side of what Subaru considered a mansion, now that she got a closer look. The moderately sized garden was beautiful, with red rose bushes lining the side of the path leading to the house. It was two storeys high, so the reception room was tall and big, with a rich wooden staircase leading upstairs. They followed her to the dining room where they sat at a long table that was made of dark, rich wood.

Taking their seats, with the noble lady seating as elegantly as possible, Haato answered, "I wish to hire you to assist me. My friend, Mel, had gone missing a week ago. I know for a fact that she was quite excited to explore some ruin she discovered in the desert north of the city. Normally, she would be quite capable of handling things herself, but usually, I would already be having her here for tea while discussing what she had found. One week is too long a time for this. So, I want your help to aid me in searching for my friend."

"Um, but, aren't you with a mercenary group?" asked Subaru with curiosity, "Why not ask them?"

"My father leads them," she explained, "They are busy right now. I can't ask them for help. Besides, I want to show my father I am capable of solving this problem myself. I have been trained ever since I could hold a sword, so I can hold my own weight. What I want is one or two people to aid me just in case I get in over my head."

Subaru and Choco looked at each other for a moment. Looking back at the lady, the former guard asked, "Could you give us a moment?"

She nodded and said, "Very well. I shall be in the study." She got up and went to a side door and exiting through it.

"So, what do you want to do?" asked the tiefling.

"...I want to help, honestly," admitted the young lady as she looked down at the table, "But… I'm nervous too? I mean, during my time as a guard, the most action I got was dragging and locking up two drunks. What would happen if I can't do what I'm supposed to do?"

"You might freeze up. But, you'll have to do something like this eventually," agreed the former, "This comes part and parcel with being an adventurer. You just have to 'man up' and face it bravely. Don't forget you won't be alone. I'll be there to help you with the ropes."

That familiar grin came back to her face as she said, "Thanks, Choco. Right, let's tell Miss Haato the good news."

* * *

The young noble was quite pleased indeed. She told them to let her complete the needed arrangements and requested them to return to her home the next day. After being shown to the gate, they went back to the art district to choose a tavern to stay in. Finally, they settled on The Boar And Vine as it wasn't as crowded as the other two. The place was almost full and noisy enough. After paying for lodging and dinner, they retreated to their room. It was small with two small beds on either side of the room with a window overlooking the outside. Two candlestick stands at the corners nearest to the door and one smaller candlestick was on the wooden side table between the beds.

Subaru dropped her backpack and immediately threw herself on the right-hand bed with a sigh of relief.

Choco smiled and said, "Tired, are we?"

Tossing around to face up, the girl replied, "Yeah… it only just hit me. We've been walking so much and the only rest we had was at her house."

The tiefling chuckled as she set down her own backpack and said, "Well, you have to get used to it quickly. There will be times when horses or carts won't be available to you and you need to walk."

She groaned and grumbled, "Please don't remind me."

A knock on the door. The former answering it and a barmaid was there with a tray of some bread and two soups of the day. Thanking her for the food, Choco nudged the door closed and set the tray on the side table. She gestured at it while she wriggled out of her hooded robe. Subaru had gotten up and was dipping a piece of bread into her soup when she noticed the armor and weapons.

" _Heeh_? _She was hiding that_?" she wondered in surprise as the tiefling set her mace and shield on the floor next to her pack and started to undo her armor. She quite nearly spat out her bread once the armor came off.

" _So big_?"

The tiefling noticed what she was doing and asked, "Yes?"

"N-nothing," she muttered as she blushed and continued munching on her bread.

Choco giggled as she sat down to partake in her dinner, "Nothing to be ashamed of, Subaru. I'm used to it. Now, unless you want to do more than just stare, finish your dinner and go to sleep. We need to meet her again tomorrow."

"Ah, right, right," the former guard muttered in embarrassment as she did as was told.

* * *

_We finished our dinner and settled in for bed. Choco put the tray and the bowls outside before she went to sleep. As I nodded off, I started to wonder what sort of stuff was Akai going to prepare. What sort of things will we be using? Will we have to fight monsters? What else will we find besides her friend, Mel? Eventually, I fell asleep._

* * *

"Eeeehhh?" exclaimed Subaru as she caught sight of what they were going to use.

After having breakfast and returning the key, they met with Haato at the gate of her house. She told them to follow and the group of three went to the north gate stables. There, much to the other two's surprise, the noble lady had hired a camel.

"Quite prepared," commented Choco, approving on the preparations.

"Indeed. One must always plan correctly for any campaign," stated Haato proudly. Turning to address the two, she said, "Now then, go ahead and strap your packs to it. I will also be getting several waterskins for our use. Ah, thank you, stable master."

An old yet still fit man carried over four full waterskins and proceeded to strap it to the camel. He then helped to strap their packs to the animal as well.

"You," the noble said, pointing at the former guard, "Can guide the camel first. Take the reins. If any of us feel too tired to walk, we can ride it."

"Alright, let us be off," she declared, "The ruins, according to my friend, is half a day's journey there. We should reach there in the evening."

"Yosh, let's go!" cheered Subaru. Her first adventure! How exciting!

True to Haato's word, they reached there in the evening, almost close to night time. The sun beat down on them, sapping most of their eagerness, but they were still young and had energy to spare. The ruins did not look like much. Subaru assumed most of it was covered in the sand. The only sign of it was some columns jutting out, some standing and some fallen. A sunken indent in the sand showed a stone outcrop with a circular stone door that seemed broken into. There were also signs that Haato's friend had been there; a tent, a buried fire pit, and a closed backpack.

"Right, here we are. Tie the camel to the nearest pillar and let us rest for a while," ordered the noble girl, "Get the fire started. I'll look through Mel's pack."

Subaru did as she was told. She also decided to take their packs off the camel and bring it over to the tent. Meanwhile, pulling back her hood, Choco dug out the fire pit and discovered some unburnt sticks around the outside. She hummed to herself a bit before looking up to ask her friend, "Subaru, can you spare me a torch?"

"Eh? Why?" she asked, puzzled. The tiefling pointed at the pit and gestured for the torch. "Eh, do we really need to?"

"Would you rather eat in the dark, Miss Oozora?" called out Haato as she opened a map case and pulled out a map, to which she muttered worriedly as she examined it, "Huh, a map to this place? Have you gotten lost inside?"

Reluctantly, Subaru gave a torch to Choco in the end and the tiefling was able to start up a fire. They put their packs in the empty tent and then, all three sat around the fire in silence and ate their fill. If she had to be honest, Subaru was starting to feel nervous first adventure was going to be exploring ancient ruins. Did she have enough torches for this? What if her friend died? Will… there be a body?

She was brought out of that dark thought by Haato's voice.

"Right, now that our bellies are filled, I need to check one more thing," the noble girl declared before asking the two of them, "Do either of you know any magic?" Choco raised her hand, which prompted her to smile.

"Very good," she said as she got up and unsheathed her rapier. She cut off a small piece of her rope hanging from the side of her pack and said, "Alright, Miss Choco, put Light on this."

She tossed it at the tiefling, who caught it neatly. Taking up her shield, she knelt down in the sand and began chanting. To Subaru's awe and delight, the shield glowed, at first the light began pooling to an emblem at the center of the shield before flowing towards the piece of rope that she held in front of her.

"Stop gawking and take your arms, Miss Oozora," said the noble, surprising her out of her awe. She scrambled to her pack and quickly retrieved her longsword and shield.

The cleric finished her spell and handed the shining piece of rope back to the noble, who stuffed it in the map case, the light now shining through the wooden tube.

"Woah, a magic torch!" Subaru exclaimed, her awe coming back as Choco shed her robe and took up her mace.

Haato just smirked and pointed her rapier at the ruin's entrance, "Let us go and find my friend."

With renewed vigor, they took their first steps in.

**AN: Hello, readers. So, we have the first members of our party, Subaru and Choco. their first stop will be the port town, where Haato and Mel live. But Mel is missing! Haato knows her last known location. Time to help her to get her back.**

**But we can get to that later. Here is Subaru. The town where she comes from I would say is an iteration of Japan. So, reversing family name and first name. Everywhere else will follow the Western naming style.**

_Oozora Subaru_

_Human Fighter_

_Interception Fighting Style_

**She will be our main fighter and tank of the party. As Choco said earlier, she's a newbie, so equivalent to Level 1.**

**And here is Choco.**

_Choco_ _Y_ _uzuki_

_Tiefling with Winged Bloodline_

_Life Domain Cleric_

**As seen previously, she can fly. Good for open areas and places with high ceilings. But, we won't always be in open spaces. She will be the main healer as well as the main user of the Sacred Flames cantrip, to help soften up enemies before they get finished off. At least until someone else joins.**

**Alright.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_My first adventure! I, Oozora Subaru, am delving into some ancient ruins, searching for the missing friend of a noble. I would say it was exciting… but going in at the time between evening and night time? It felt rather scary, to be honest. I have never been inside a ruined place before. I prefer normal buildings, thank you very much._

_Also, I never knew Choco could do magic. I mean, the wings she had should have been a sign, but I've never seen anyone doing magic like that. I've seen ceremonies and the like being done by priests, but nothing like this. Amazing!_

_Not to mention Miss Akai's use of that magic. I never would have thought to make stuff like that. I mean, she made a magic torch! Just a bit of rope, a wooden case, and some magic from Choco. What did she call it? Light? With Miss Akai's smarts and Choco's magic, I think we can make it through this adventure with no problem._

* * *

The way was rather wide, wide enough for two people to move shoulder to shoulder with space to spare. Haato took point with Subaru and Choco moving in step behind her. The noble made sure to shine the light at every corner. All they found was stone and sand, until…

-snap-

Haato lifted her foot and shone the light down. A bone, already broken, the splinters right under her boot. She moved the light further out. More bones. Some burn marks on the ground and the walls; some were scorch marks and some had bits of the stone eaten away.

"Hmm, Mel was here. I can see signs of her spellcasting here," the noble informed them.

"So that's why you asked about spellcasting," commented Choco, followed by a question, "Was she also studying to be a wizard?"

"Yes," Haato confirmed as she led the light forward to a junction in the tunnel. She noted that there were more burn marks down the right turning. "This way," she pointed out. The three moved as one down the tunnel.

As they continued down the tunnel, at first Subaru thought it was just imagining things, but when Haato asked them to halt, she could hear more weird things. A buzzing sound, faint yells, metal crashes, and so on. They look at each other, wondering what else was happening. Was someone else here? What are they doing here?

"Move carefully," she warned them. Subaru took it to heart and all of them moved slowly, taking care to be more aware of their surroundings. As they came nearer to a corner, the sounds became louder. They could hear voices shouting. All three of them peeked around the corner. It led to an open room prefaced by a very ornate doorway gilded in gold and intricate carvings. Haato motioned them to move forward and stayed behind the door, peeking in.

A fierce battle was raging inside. A fully-armored red-headed woman was hacking and slashing at a pale man with finely made clothes and fangs coming out of his mouth. She was accompanied by a near-naked man, only wearing a pair of fur pants, who was swinging a large sword at that same pale man. His skin was tinged green and hair jet black. Further off was another, this time bald, man in red armor and tabard that was holding up an amulet and chanting in a similar way to Choco earlier. A dark-haired woman was standing next to him, also chanting but in different words, occasionally tossing bolts of fire at the pale man.

"Pst, look at the corner there," whispered Haato suddenly. Their eyes went to said corner and widened. Slumped over in that corner was a short-haired, blonde girl in desert clothes. Clothes meant for desert travel, so loose and white-colored. A white glow seemed to be covering her. Was it stopping her from moving? Was she still breathing? She couldn't really see.

A loud roar came from the near-naked man, the greatsword getting buried in the pale man's body, nearly slicing him in half. Immediately, the pale man turned into a mist that moved by itself into a coffin that was on its side of the wall.

"After it!" yelled the armored woman. The man ran up to the coffin and threw it open with one hand. The woman took a sharpened stake from her belt and stabbed something.

"Finally," the bald man said tiredly as he strung his amulet around his neck.

"We aren't done yet, Baltor," informed the armored woman, sheathing her longsword, "We still need to drag this bloodsucker out in the sun to be sure."

"How long have we been fighting?" asked the near-naked man, slinging the greatsword on his back.

"It just turned night," informed the dark-haired woman as she looked around the place, "That girl is still in my Hold. Strange she isn't trying to get out of it." She then turned to the doorway where they were hiding and said, "Alright, it's safe to come out now. Gods know what you're doing there."

This prompted them to hide immediately.

"Is she talking about us?" whispered Subaru. Her heart was racing and she was feeling that they had stepped into a scary situation.

"No doubt. She is very perceptive," surmised Haato with a sigh, "Alright, let's get this over with. I just hope they let us leave with Mel."

"If you're sure..." trailed off Choco as the three of them stepped into the room.

"A tiefling," stated Baltor as he scowled.

"Who is traveling with a Red Heart and another fighter," added the other man, "What brings you here, little ones?" Looking closer, Subaru noticed the man had pointed ears and teeth jutting out his bottom jaw. Is he human or something else?

The noble stepped forward and declared, "Greetings, I am Haato Akai of the Red Hearts. These are my companions, Oozora Subaru and Choco. We have been searching for my friend Mel, who I believe is in your holding spell there."

"Greetings, Haato. I am Bethany, paladin of Tyr," the armored woman replied, then motioning to the others, "My associates Droc of Clan Elk, Baltor of the Dawnbringers, and Meena Darkness."

"With introductions out of the way, may I see my friend?" she pressed on.

"I'm afraid you can't," Baltor disagreed, "Your friend has been bitten to death and all vampire thralls have to be killed. I'm sorry, but we must do this."

"I rather not jump to conclusions so quickly. Let me see her first," Haato demanded, annoyance already seeping in her voice.

"I'm afraid he is right, Miss Haato," said the paladin as she supported him, "When we came into this room, the vampire was in the process of feeding on her. When he saw us, he threw her to the side and attacked us."

"To which, I cast Hold Person to make sure she stayed there," added Meena.

"But your fight is over now, can't you check to see if she's alive or not?" interjected Subaru.

The party of four looked at each other for a moment. The paladin eventually moved to the center of the room, muttering, "Let me." Sheathing her sword, she raised her forearms, palms facing up and eyes closed. She stood still for a few seconds and then gasped in surprise, her eyes opening wide. She slowly turned back to her party and said, "I can only sense the vampire. Their friend is not a thrall. But… its darkness lurks like a miasma around her."

This declaration prompted Subaru to grin. It seems that Haato's friend could be returned to them after all.

"That. Does not make sense at all!" said Baltor in confusion.

"As far as we know, vampires kill people and make them thralls. Maybe there is something else at play with this one?" theorized Meena, "Maybe a certain level of this miasma needs to be in the dead body for this kind of vampire to raise a thrall. Maybe based on the number of times it fed? Or maybe-" She started mumbling her theories to herself but as quickly silenced.

"Bah! Enough of this and that. The girl is alive and not a thrall. Return her!" complained Droc loudly.

Bethany sighed and said, "I suppose we should. Meena, dismiss the Hold."

Nodding, the wizard stepped over to the girl and waved her hand over her head. The white glow faded out. The short-haired blonde blinked and looked up wearily.

"Hello. You're safe now," said Meena, prompting the blonde to blink in confusion.

"Mel, will you please bring some help with you next time?" called out Haato.

A sense of recognition crossed her eyes. "Haato? Haato!" she exclaimed as she scrambled to her feet and ran over to the noble, "See! See! The map wasn't a fake. I found… oh." She started to point at the coffin and trailed off, her face paling as she remembered what happened.

The cleric of Lathlander scoffed and scolded, "Listen to your friend next time, girl. Else you won't be returning from whatever delving you foolishly went to."

"Enough. I am sure Miss Mel here has learned her lesson," chided Bethany. Focusing on the party, she told them, "Now, I suggest you go outside and get some sleep. Huddle in your tent since the desert will turn really cold at night."

"What are you going to do?" asked the noble.

"Dragging the coffin and the vampire outside. Then, when the sun rises, he can burn," the paladin said as she glared at the wooden casket.

"Very well. Thank you for your assistance," Haato declared gratefully and then motioned the other girls to follow her.

As they retraced their steps, Mel could be heard asking, "Erm, why do you have horns?"

* * *

_Taking their advice, we went and prepared Mel's tent. True to their word, it felt really frosty outside. Not to mention, we had to squeeze into Mel's tent. Not to mention we only had two bedrolls. Mel and Haato shared one while I shared one with Choco. It was… tight. I'm… kind of glad? That my chest isn't that big? Is this wrong? Anyway, even if it was uncomfortable, I was still able to get some sleep. My back was sore, but the sun woke me up just right. We also saw some surprising things._

* * *

A loud despairing wail resounded around them. The two parties watched as the vampire disintegrated in the bright morning sun. Once the wailing stopped, Bethany walked up to Mel and asked, "Are you feeling alright?"

The girl shook her head and said, "Not... really? I still feel… human, but the sun is just… prickling? Something? I just feel tired. A bit tired."

"It sounds like the darkness is still in you," she muttered, looking very concerned, "But, you are alive and have survived having gotten bitten by a vampire. Normally, we do not find survivors. This is honestly new for us."

"It only means that if another vampire shows up, it will go straight for her. Mark my words," warned Baltor, gesturing with his finger.

The paladin sigh as she shook her head, then addressing Mel, "Be safe. I hope we do not meet again under worse times."

The vampire-hunting party then walked off, away from the ruins. Subaru watched them as they became smaller and smaller in the distance.

"Hey, get your stuff. We need to go," said Choco as she poked her shoulder.

"Ah, right," exclaimed the former guard as she hurried over to help load the packs and Mel's equipment on the camel.

It didn't take very long and they were on their way back. It was a little worrisome since Mel seemed to be drinking water more often than we were. Halfway through the journey, Choco had a question.

"Hey, Haato, I don't think we ever discussed our payment yet. So, are we getting any?" she asked.

"Must you ask now?" the noble muttered, sounding very annoyed, "We are halfway there. We can discuss this when we reach my house."

"As much as I'd hate to ask but-"

"Monsters!"

Shocked by the shout, Subaru yelped as she jumped out of the way when two javelins sunk into the sand in front of her. Running down the dunes were two haggard and thin orcs with mad looks on their faces, waving their greataxes in the air.

"Of all the… protect Mel and the camel!" yelled out Haato her orders as she unsheathed her rapier as she and Choco ran up to Subaru. The tiefling started chanting as soon as she reached her, her shield glowing and a second later, surrounding the three of them in the same glow. Just in time too as the orcs arrived and their greataxes crashed against the two shields.

"Thieves!"

"Return water!"

Subaru nearly stumbled back but held on. As it reared the greataxe back for another hit, she swung her sword down, cutting him across the chest. It drew blood but it was a shallow cut and it didn't stop the axe head from going past her shield and biting into her shoulder. She cried out in pain but bore with it as she quickly slashed the orc's arm for a deeper cut. Roaring in fury, it reared back for another strike.

"Duck!" she heard Mel shout.

Instinctively, she rolled to the side as the axe fell, clipping her shield as she went. Looking up just in time, she saw a shard of ice get lodged into the orc's other arm. Then it exploded, sending frost everywhere. As injured as it was, it only made it angrier and it swung sideways, the axe head coming from the left. She was able to block it with her shield successfully and hacked at the arm again, making another deep cut.

Without warning, another shard of ice flew in, this time burrowing into the orc's neck. As the burst of frost staggered it, Subaru roared in defiance and swung her blade into the opposite side of its neck. Tugging her longsword out, the body fell forward, blood pooling around its neck. The sand drank greedily as she fell back on it, suddenly feeling quite tired and out of breath.

"Here."

She looked up and saw Choco offering a waterskin. She took it gratefully and gulped down a few mouthfuls. Letting off a sigh of relief, she looked over to the other orc. It seemed to be burnt in some places.

"Stupid orcs," muttered Haato as she flicked the blood of her rapier and sheathed it, "They must have been exiled. No food or drink and mad with the sun." Glancing at Subaru's injury, she ordered, "Choco, heal her. We need to make a move in a few minutes. I refuse to wait around for more surprises."

The tiefling nodded as she began chanting again. This time, it was her wound that lit up and Subaru could feel it being pulled together. The chanting stopped and the light faded, leaving behind only her skin peeking out from the break in her leather armor.

"Hi, hi, thanks Choco!" she said gratefully. The cleric simply smiled and helped the former guard to her feet.

"Right, we loot them. Check the bodies and see if the armor and weapons are salvageable. If anything, we can get a bit of copper from the smithies," the noble ordered.

"Haaa… urgh, yuck," mumbled Subaru. She would rather not touch the bodies, but if she said so…

They salvaged what they could and quickly headed back to the port city. Thankfully, there were no other incidents the rest of the way.

**AN: Hello, readers. The rescue of Mel Yozora is underway. thankfully, the group of vampire hunters had just defeated said menace. All that is needed is to try and get our wayward archaeologist. Of course, not dismissing thirsty, hungry orcs that had been left in the desert. What were they thinking?**

**This is our current employer and leader.**

_Akai Haato_

_Human Duelist_

_Samurai Martial Archetype_

**And this is our wayward misfit.**

_Mel Yozora_

_Vampire Victim/Survivor Wizard_

_School of Conjuration_

**If it wasn't obvious that this is a homebrew thing, it is a lot more obvious now. Vampire Victim/Survivor doesn't exist in the official manuals. You are either a vampire or your not. Nothing in between like this. Alright.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_I am Oozaru Subaru, and I just finished my first adventure! But… it seemed less exciting and more scary and heart pounding. And painful. Very painful. Yeah, Choco healed me, but what could have happened if she wasn't there? Would I be bleeding all the way back? Are there sharks on land? Does the desert have sand sharks? I sure hope not._

_So, we reached Haato's house and to our surprise, she invited us to stay. I didn't expect her to be that generous. Is this normal or is it just her? I mean, we did save her friend… so probably just her. We sold the stuff we salvaged and… Haato was right, we didn't get that much. At least the copper we got paid for our repairs and stuff. Then there's the issue of getting paid Choco has been hounding her about. Honestly, I felt like we barely did anything, other than protect the camel from those crazy orcs. Still, Haato did say she would give us some sort of reward when Choco asked her again at her house._

_Unfortunately, after our day of rest, we were faced with another problem_ …

* * *

"Mio!?"

Subaru was pretty shocked. The wolf lady innkeeper, for reasons unknown, came all the way here from the island. Decked in what looks to be a well-maintained armor set and well-made weapons, she gave off a stern vibe as she stood in front of them in the middle of the street.

"Did you know how much trouble you caused me?" she said angrily.

The former guard followed her gaze and found herself looking at Choco. She blinked and said, "Wait, what did Choco do?"

"Too many to count," the wolf lady informed them, "As soon as word got out that I had a 'demon' at my inn, the watch told me that they received way too many reports of 'demon-related' problems that lasted the whole week you were there. I tried clearing it up with the watch and they agreed that most of it was hearsay, They wanted me to bring you back to Isshoudai to be locked up for a few days… as well as a purification ritual."

The tiefling groaned and muttered, "I only went there to see if I could find new herbs that could help me with my trade. I never went there to cause any trouble in that backwards town… no offense."

Subaru didn't really know what to say. She didn't even know what to feel about all this. So, she kept quiet and let it play out for now.

"Unfortunately, that 'backwards town' is also clamoring for payback," retorted Mio, "And being that I was the only adventurer that decided to settle down there, the watch asked me to help retrieve you. So, are you coming with me or not?"

"No. I am not going back there. I have places to be and people to heal, so forgive me if I rather not be tied down to a jail cell," Choco retorted calmly.

"In that case… three hundred gold pieces."

"Eh?"

"Hmm?"

"Three hundred to get me off your back. I can bring the gold back and tell them that I got it as a bounty for turning you in," the innkeeper explained.

"Oh my, how devious," the tiefling mused with a smirk.

This? Subaru was a little unsure about this. While that amount of money could help the town, they would be lying too…

"It is the least I could do to pay back the town that took me in and allowed me to stay," Mio replied.

That does sound good.

"Alright, we can help raise the money for this." agreed Choco. Turning to Subaru, she asked, "Are you alright with this? It IS your town."

"Yeah," was her one-word reply. She still felt unsure about this but decided to go along with it since it is helping her town after all.

"Then it's decided," summed up the tiefling. Pulling Subaru along, she continued, "Come, let's get back to Haato's house. We are not leaving until we get rewarded."

"Can't you just trust her to prepare something for us? No need to hassle her every time you see her," grumbled the former guard as she went along with her.

"Alright, alright. Last time, yes?" promised Choco.

"Erm, mind explaining to me what you're talking about?" asked Mio as she followed after them.

* * *

"I have considered and have decided to give this as your reward," said the Red Heart member as she gestured to the table.

A new, fancier looking longsword as well as a small bag of gold.

"Ooh, is this for me?" exclaimed Subaru gleefully as she picked up the sword.

"That must have cost a lot. Why?" questioned Choco as she took the bag.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she sat down. "Mel is one of my closest friends. This is just to show how grateful I am," she explained with a smile, "Granted, the longsword may be expensive to you but my father's company is well-known in the city and I am able to use a few favors to get this. It should be able to last you for a long time. Especially since Miss Oozora seems to be new at this. At least until you can afford more interesting stuff… The bag has a hundred and fifty gold pieces, by the way."

Subaru's mouth went agape. How much money again? She had never seen that much before.

"Mhm, well, thank you, Miss Haato," thanked Choco.

"Please, I'm the one who should be saying that," she replied humbly. Then, she said, "Also, if you want, I can give you another job."

"Is that so? Tell us more," requested the tiefling. Subaru replaced the sword in her sheath with her new one and listened intently.

"At the enchanter's shop, he asked me for some help," she explained, "There is a trader leaving the city for the capital later in the day. The enchanter will be sending a small case of enchanted staves and wands with him. He is looking for some cheap guards to go with the trader. You can ask the trader for payment once he reaches the capital."

"Just one?" asked Choco, "Sounds strange.'

"The enchanter held him back, so the normal caravan left him behind during negotiations," the noble explained, "Enchanted items are worth a lot, after all."

"I see. Well, I don't see why we shouldn't help him," agreed the former, "Where can we find the trader?"

After getting instructions, they left the house and rejoined Mio outside. Informing her of the job, they quickly went to the northern gate stables, Choco pulling up her hood along the way.

"Oh, you're my guards?" asked a bald, orange-bearded man gruffly as he fastened the last box onto his draft horse.

"Yup!" Subaru answered with a grin. Mio had gone with Choco to see the stable master about buying the waterskins he had loaned to Haato.

"Huh, really cheap guards," he muttered to himself as he mounted his horse, "Right, let's get a move on then. Time's a-wasting. I hope you have plenty of water."

"We do," the former guard replied, taking one as the other two returned. Looking back at the trader, she said, "Ready to go."

"Right," the man muttered as he pulled on the reins and guided the horse out.

* * *

_We moved out immediately. According to Choco, it would take between one and a half to two days to cross the desert. Thankfully, the trader also wanted to cross the desert quickly. We traveled a good distance and when night fell, we rested at a known pit stop that apparently all traders use. It was at another ruin but with no openings to any underground tunnels or any caves nearby. A relatively safe place to camp and rest for the night. I was still not used to the desert so I was glad for a chance to rest in a safe place. It was pleasant enough, eating our rations by the fire. I'm kinda sad though, since all my rice balls were all eaten up. I wish I could go back and ask my mum for more_...

* * *

Subaru was on the ground, her head propped up by a chunk of flat stone, staring at the starry sky. The twinkling stars were like gleaming jewels against a black dress. She sighed. She knew she was going to be sore in the morning and regretted not going to the market before the journey and buying a bedroll. Every bit of defense against the sandy stone was a plus in her mind.

"Are you alright?" asked a voice and she found Mio sitting beside her. She never even heard the wolf lady move. A little unnerving but… she was distracted so… eh?

"I'm just missing my bed," she mumbled and then felt a little embarrassed saying that.

"Homesick? Understandable. You aren't used to this yet," the wolf lady stated with a soft smile, "Not to mention feeling anxious being in a relatively dangerous place."

"...Yeah," she admitted as she looked away from her.

"Ah, then maybe a little something from home?" Mio asked. Apparently a rhetorical question, since she suddenly started humming a tune familiar to Subaru.

"Heeeh, a kid's song?" she sounded with a smile, finding it a little funny.

The wolf lady returned the smile, "But it reminds you of home, a familiar thing that brings the feeling of safety." She continued the tune and eventually started singing the nursery rhyme.

Slowly, Subaru closed her eyes, her head gently moving with the tune. Eventually, she nodded off.

* * *

Subaru woke up when the sun's rays fell on her face. After a quick breakfast, they left the resting place and continued on their journey.

"Hey, Choco. Is the capital next to the desert?" she asked the tiefling, "I mean, you know I haven't been out this far from my town, so..."

"Ah, right," was the amused reply. As they walked, she informed, "So, the capital isn't near the desert. We need to follow a road through a forest to get there. In between, there are several towns and outposts we could stop by if you want to."

"I wouldn't mind getting away from the desert," they could hear Mio muttering as she shook her tail, bits of sand falling out of her fur.

Choco giggled a little before suddenly stopping, the smile disappearing entirely. She stared off to the side, something catching her eye. Then, she hurried ahead and told them, "Take care. I think I saw a large cave off to the side. Be on the lookout for trouble."

Unfortunately, the warning was a prelude to a strange shifting of sand that caught Mio's ears. "It's here," she warned as a giant scorpion lunged out of the sand, aiming a claw at the horse.

Subaru reacted first. She was the nearest to the horse and she intercepted its huge claw, knocking it aside with her shield. The trader shouted in fear and rode on ahead. Mio ran up to her, gesturing at her as she chanted. The former guard began to feel emboldened, feeling she could confidently face down this enemy bravely.

Meanwhile, Choco's chanting ended in her swinging her hand down. Suddenly, a flame-like radiance dropped down on top of its body, searing the shuddering arthropod. The sound of the chittering becoming louder and it jabbed its stinger at Subaru. She raised her shield on time and the attack glanced off it. Before it could retract it, she slashed the stinger, leaving a shallow gash in it. Mio ran in from behind the former guard and slammed her mace in the scorpion's claw, cracking the exoskeleton a little. Choco tried summoning another burst of Sacred Flame but it somehow was able to get out of the way and the spell merely scorched sand.

The giant scorpion started targeting Mio, but she was able to dodge the claws as it swiped at her. Sand was tossed in the air, obscuring her view but she was able to block the stinger with her shield, just like Subaru did. Said person took the chance to stab the stinger again, her new blade digging in deep. The chittering seemed to increase in volume as it moved its stinger away. Mio tried to counterattack but the sand obscured her view and she missed. For the third time, Choco cast Sacred Flame, but it struck the side of the scorpions tail and glanced off it. Feeling that the spell had become less effective, she moved in with her mace at the ready.

However, it was at this moment that the giant scorpion decided to target her. She dodged one claw but the other grabbed her at the waist, while the stinger glanced off the shield. She yelled out in pain as the claw started squeezing as it slammed her to the ground.

"Let her go!" shouted Subaru as she attacked, her sword surprisingly slicing through the armored skin of its claw, already thinned by the holy fires earlier.

Mio followed suit with her mace but its legs threw sand in her direction, distracting her as she tried to stop the sand from getting in her eyes. Choco tried smashing her mace on the claw that was holding her. It cracked the shell but it still held on. The giant scorpion, still focussed on the tiefling, tried to use its stinger to stab her again but to no avail against her sturdy shield. Subaru and Mio tried attacking the claw again but it barely did anything. Nevertheless, it distracted it enough for the tiefling to push the claws apart and release herself. She proceeded to smash her mace on the same claw but it still barely did anything.

Seeing that its prey escaped, it turned its attention to another. It caught Subaru in its claw as she avoided the other and its stinger. It then slammed her on the sand. She yelled in pain, the attack so swift, she had to focus on making sure she didn't let go of her sword instead of trying to swing it. There was so much sand flying around the former guard that the other two stayed their hand in fear of hitting her.

As the sand dispersed, the other claw came for Mio but it found her shield instead. Seeing it distracted, Subaru pushed apart the weakened grip of the claw and somehow landed in front of the scorpions head. Wasting no time, she attacked, slashing through one of its beady black eyes. It let out a shrill grating cry, stunned by the pain. Mio took this chance to run past its flailing claws with a yell and slammed her mace into its head, the heavy studded ball of metal plowing past the exoskeleton and turning what counted as its brain to paste.

At that moment, all flailing stopped and all parts of the scorpion collapsed onto the sand. Subaru and Mio flopped back and sat down on the sand, relieved that it was over.

"Haaaa, that was tough," said the former guard aloud as Choco came over and started chanting. She glanced over and could see everyone gaining a faint green glow for a few seconds. "Thanks, Choco!" she said gratefully.

"Oi, is it dead yet?" yelled out the trader. The three looked over at the one that ran away just now. Subaru didn't blame him, as fighting wasn't in his job description.

"Ah, it is," she called back.

"Thank the gods," the man exclaimed, "Let's get a move on! I rather avoid any more surprises."

"Alright! Go on ahead, we'll catch up quick!" she shouted back as she picked herself up. Turning to her friends, she said happily, "Let's go!"

**AN: Hello, readers. Subaru got a little upgrade. A very significant upgrade, considering her level right now. She could use a boost. She will be using that +1 sword for a significant portion of this fic. We also got another boost in Mio. Yes, a three-person party for now. Two clerics is a bit much. But... it will be good, I dare say.**

**So this is Mio.**

Mio Ookami

Wolf-Demon

Unity Domain Cleric

**So, I pulled Wolf-Demon from a 5e homebrew site where it says that this race is not exactly a real demon race, but more of a creation of a god/goddess. I quote, '...** possess long wolflike ears and a tail. They have short patches of fur on their arms, legs and along their neck... **', unquote. To which I do believe fits Mio quite well. And the Unity domain, since she is known to be wise and motherly, and this domain is for those who prioritize bonds of family and friendship.**

**So, back to the party composition, the only thing we're lacking are heavy hitters. Mel didn't join them, so the question would be, who else am I going to pull up. Who else will be joining them? Next chapter.**

**Alright.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Phew! I am glad that we made it out of the desert alive. That giant scorpion was ridiculous. I almost got turned into food! Choco too! Thankfully, we were able to kill it. Mama Mio looked really awesome. So, we successfully escorted the trader to the town next to the desert, Nikubasa. He should thank his lucky stars that we reached the town just as the trade caravan was about to leave. He couldn't do much in this town but at least he could rejoin his group. And before he did, he gave us a small reward of fifty gold pieces. That left us behind with currently nothing to do._

_Despite that, I still wanted to see the capital at least once. So, we continued our journey after restocking our supplies. We also bought a bedroll each, so our nights would be a whole lot more comfortable. Although... I was kinda surprised when a gust of wind almost threw off Choco's hood, the town guards didn't bat an eye. I guess she had been here before? I mean, she must have, to get to Huan Tuo._

_We left the town in the early evening and a few hours of walking had us reaching a crossroads of sorts. At a glance, one was the road we were on, one to the east and one north. When I asked Choco, she said the capital was to the north with two other towns on the way, one large and one small. On the road to the east was a small town and then a large city after it. While trying to decide what to do as night time was falling fast, we heard some voices arguing coming towards us…_

* * *

"Oh, please. You call yourself a princess but every word out of your mouth makes less sense than a donkey braying," stated a sophisticated-sounding voice.

"Shut up, alpeko! Why are you pekoing to your princess like that? Of course, I know where I'm pekoing!" retorted the more immature sounding voice.

Two figures soon appeared. A girl with rabbit ears and braided twin-tails, who was riding a horse, was arguing with a pink-haired girl with a strange dress of pink, red, and white colors. It reminded Subaru of her kimono she used to wear when she was young, at a time when her parents took her to see the fireworks by the harbor. Was it a summer festival? There was also a cloaked figure walking behind the horse.

"One, you lost your signet ring and we spent two days trying to find it, only for it to actually be under your pillow the entire time," the one on foot said, listing out the mistakes, "Two, I am being paid to guard you at your parent's behest, so all I need to do is stop you from doing dumb things. Three, you didn't tie up your horse properly and someone rode off on it. Now we had to waste money to buy another one."

"Three is pekoly not my fault! I have no peko on how to tie my horse and you peko taught me!" the supposed princess retorted childishly.

They just stood there staring at the arguing duo, not knowing what to do or how to react. Eventually, the two notice them and stop, looking very embarrassed. They slowly went over to them and the colorful girl greeted, "Erm, hello. Very sorry you had to see that." Composing herself, she introduced the group with, "My name is Miko Sakura. The one on the horse is Princess Pekora Usada. She is the ambassador of her country and we are on our way to the capital."

Choco and Mio curtsied, while Subaru hurried to try and copy their actions but only managed a more clumsy version. Then, they introduced themselves. It seemed it was appropriate enough since the princess said, "Thank you. It's hard to find polite peko these days."

"It is getting late. We should make camp," informed Miko, pointing to a clearing off to the side of the crossroads.

"Un, un" the rabbit princess sounded as she nodded.

The party stared a moment longer before following after them, agreeing that it was probably time to eat and rest. A fire pit was made, bedrolls were laid out and rations were eaten. After dinner, Subaru was asked to take the first watch.

"Ah, sure," she agreed. Then she asked, "Who else is taking watch?"

"You're first. I'm next. Mio is next then fourth is Miko," informed Choco.

"Ok," she replied as she sat on a large rock nearby.

She didn't have a problem with it since she had done some late-night patrols before. It did make her wonder who took watch during the pitstop in the desert. Was it just Mio and Choco? The thought made her feel a bit bad about it. She probably should have mentioned something about it, huh?

The guilty feeling remained when it was time for Choco's turn. She walked quietly over to the tiefling and shook her awake. The cleric rubbed her eyes and nodded thankfully for the shaking. With that, she went to her own bedroll and fell asleep immediately.

Morning came and she woke up with little problem. Mio was already awake, looking under her bedroll for something. Choco was looking around bleary-eyed. Miko was tending the fire. Pekora was staring at the tiefling like it was the first time she had seen one… Oh…

"Are you a peko or devil?" the princess asked curiously. This immediately woke her up very quickly.

"I'm a tiefling… half-blooded you can say," she replied very hesitantly.

"Ah, you peko me of those oni and half-oni running around the peko lands," the rabbit princess before getting out of her bedroll and tidying up. A very neat person, in Subaru's opinion, that also reminded her that she should do the same.

As she did so, she glanced over to Mio and noticed the wolf lady had dug up an iron flask. "What's that?" Subaru asked.

"I have no idea," Mio replied, "Then again, I might have a use for this."

"Is it possible for it to be a magic item?" asked Choco as she tidied up as well.

"I... don't... think so?" she mused, having second thoughts about this item, "But who would throw this away?" She pulled the stopper and nothing happened, which prompted her to say, "If it is magical, I don't know how it works."

"Do you wish to journey with us?" asked Miko. Subaru noted that they had already packed everything as well as put out the fire.

"Wait for us!" she exclaimed as the party scrambled to pack up their stuff. A few minutes later, the two groups were now walking down the road that went through a forest. They were walking silently, quite the opposite of the giant quarrel they heard yesterday. Not to mention, the second group insisted on riding ahead a few feet of them for 'princess' reasons.

"Is this normal?" whispered Subaru.

"Unfortunately, some really arrogant nobles would treat this like a parade," Choco whispered back, her hood surprisingly down, "Those are few and far between. I think in her case, this is some childish thing again."

They had reached a hill in the road when they heard a shout, "Hello, travelers! Could you stop for a moment?"

The group in front stopped and they were able to catch up. In the middle of a road stood three figures; a human, and two half-elves. They were sporting a red piece of cloth that was covering their mouth. The half-elf seemed to be their leader. She was dressed a bit more finely than the others, the hint of a higher quality armor. "What an interesting group you have. Might I ask for who you are?" she asked

Before they could say anything else, Pekora said proudly, "Princess Pekora, Ambassador of the kingdom of Gekko. What peko want?"

Subaru was aghast. What was this princess doing? They might be bandits and robbers! You don't simply say that in the middle of nowhere!

"I can hear more people around us," warned Mio softly, the former guard noticing her wolf ears twitching around, "Drop your packs and get ready for a fight." The other two nodded and the packs slid off and thudded softly on the ground.

"Ah, just the person I was looking for," said the half-elf captain gleefully, "We were waiting for you. You see, we were approached by someone to try and… remove you from play. So, if you would please follow us, the rest of your people can be let free and unharmed."

"Ah, I'm afraid her highness will not be leaving with you," said Miko condescendingly, "She is far too busy for the likes of you."

"I see. A pity. We didn't need to do this," the captain said with faux disappointment as she drew out a shortsword and a dagger. The human drew out a shortsword while the second half-elf drew several daggers. All around them, nine more people walked out of the forest, humans and half-elves, all of them sporting shortswords.

"Get them!"

* * *

Subaru steeled herself for the fight. She could hear Choco and Mio chanting their spells from out of her line of sight. The moment a beam of holy fire descended and slammed into one of the bandits was the signal it had started. The first bandit reached her swung his sword, the blade sliding across her shield but dipped forward and dealt a shallow cut to her sword hand. She winced as she heard the wolf lady finish her spell, Her body glowed for a few seconds, signaling the spell taking hold.

Three more bandits joined the first. Bandit two was still grievously injured and his weak swing fell short. Bandit three and bandit four actually got past her defenses, one sword piercing her right side while the other pierced the leather armor in her shoulder. Thankfully, she didn't flinch and stood firm despite her injuries. Behind her, she heard a bell ring and Miko shouted, "You dare attack us!?" She didn't know what happened but the four bandits in front of her froze in terror as they looked past her. She could also hear the rabbit princess laughing, "PE↓ KO↑ PE↓ KO↑ PE↓ KO↑ PE↓ KO↑"

Deciding to ignore the weird laughter, she surged forward and attacked the bandits, wounding one in the leg while missing the cut on another. This shook the four out of their fright but they were still shaken enough that their attacks were clumsy, but not clumsy enough as the second bandit was able to land a lucky hit and cut through her armor.

* * *

Pekora was grinning. These fools dare to try and accost her? To assassinate her? Such idiocy and foolishness. At a quick glance, the bandits have already surrounded them but she was not worried. Miko then rang her bell and shouted, "You dare attack us?"

A pity that not all the bandits heard her. Still, Oozora seemed to be handling herself. Giggling, she took out a tinkering hammer from her bag of holding and aimed it at the bandit captain. She could feel her power wanting to be released and she allowed it. A large pool of grease suddenly appeared under the captain and her two flunkies. The captain fell over while the flunkies were barely holding on.

"PE↓ KO↑ PE↓ KO↑ PE↓ KO↑ PE↓ KO↑"

Maybe she should ask them to keep the captain alive as her jester. Watching her wallowing in the grease… The same amount of elbow grease she put into learning her craft. To make her own friend. Her protector.

She hummed as she watched Miko go on the offensive, ringing her bell and gestured at one of the bandits around Oozora, blasting him away with ease with a loud, "STAY HOME." Perhaps she should do something as well. She put away the hammer and picked up her crossbow, already loaded.

"Help them," she ordered. Her friend immediately walked over and smacked the nearest bandit on the head. At the same time, the angry fighter yelled out a battlecry and did a particularly heavy slash, cutting through a bandit's leather armor, the large gash in his chest killing him instantly. The battlefield became even noisier as she could hear chanting and the fighter stood up a little straighter, looking a little more invigorated. Miko blasted another bandit with glee with another, "STAY HOME."

Pekora was waiting for this, as she shot the distracted and already badly injured bandit in front of the fighter, right in the head. She gave the order to her friend and the fighting continued.

* * *

Mio was annoyed. One lucky slash got through her armor and cut her arm. At least she was able to reply in kind with her mace. Now, as if they were all focussed on one place, started attacking her mace arm and another lucky shot got past her armor, this time in her shoulder. This was getting very tiresome. No matter where she swung, she just couldn't seem to hit them. Why did that giant scorpion feel easier to fight than a couple of bandits?

Suddenly, the cloaked person that was following the rabbit princess showed up next to her and punched one of the bandits. She could literally hear the neck snap as the head was thrown back by the blow. She quickly composed herself and focussed on the fight.

"Need help here!" she could hear Choco call out.

"Busy!" shouted the wolf lady in reply, as the bandits dodged around her own mace as she moved to attack again.

The cloaked one stepped forward again and slapped a bandit in the head, but broke the hand instead as the bandit tried to dodge around it. The loud crack distracted her and she paid for it as she yelped when she felt a sword slide through the gaps over her shoulder and leave a deep cut. She growled at them as she tried to focus on the fight.

* * *

Inwardly, Miko was laughing. This was really so easy. First, she frightened them. Then, she killed them. Everything she blasted dropped dead. Next time, they should just stay home instead of facing her.

"Damn it all!"

Oh, the half-elf bandit captain has gotten out of the grease and is now coming at her with a shortsword. Ok, blast her too.

"No!" shouted the fighter as she reached over and used her shield to deflect the slash. It didn't injure her, but it did touch one of her locks draping over her forehead.

Wow. Nobody tried to protect her before. That was nice. This bandit captain, however…

"Why, thank you," the pink warlock said politely to the half-elf. Then, she chanted a few words while pointing at her. The space surrounding her ignited and burned her for a few seconds. Miko laughed as the fires suddenly disappeared from the captain's body, then yelled, "Next time, STAY HOME!" The point-blank eldritch blast exploded.

* * *

If Choco could read Mio's mind, she would have agreed that the bandits were far too jumpy for their own good. She couldn't land a hit on them, but thankfully, they couldn't do anything to her either. Whether they were distracted and afraid by her looks or she was that good, she couldn't tell.

"Need help here!" she shouted as she swung her mace and was unable to hit anything.

"Busy," was the only reply she got. Mio.

She took a quick glance behind her. A bandit took advantage of her distraction and dealt a deep gash on her weapon hand. She hissed in pain.

_Alright, that's it._

Fed up with being unable to beat back the bandits, Choco unfurled her wings to full and took to the air. She noted that the captain and the two lackeys from up the road had now joined the melee. The greasy human was attacking the wolf lady. The greasy half-elf was backstabbing Subaru. The captain was busy getting spells to the face.

_Well, I think it's time for us to refresh our health._

Chanting as she moved over the party like an angelic demon, a green aura radiated all over them, healing and sealing their wounds.

**AN: Hello, readers. Yes, here are this chapter's heavy hitters. Spellcasters. One hailing from distant lands and one traveling to solve a mystery.**

**First up, we have the representation of the rabbit princess herself, Pekora Usada.**

Pekora Usada

Rabbit Kemonomimi

Battle Smith Artificer

**Yes, an artificer of the battle smith variety. Hence, her Steel Defender, a robot/construct she can create and maintain by herself. It doesn't have a name just yet, but a Lvl 20 version of Pekora would probably name it Raiden.**

**Our next friend is Miss 'Stay Home', Miko Sakura.**

Miko Sakura

Human

Warlock with Archfey patron

**With eldritch blasts, this lets her tell people to stay at home instead of fighting her. If you still try to hit on her, she will set you on fire. FIRE. I mean, you've seen how she goes about GTA and stuff. So much chaos. You do not mess with this pink warlock.**

**Alright, we shall mop up the little fight in the next chapter.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Things looked quite dire. Maybe if it was just three of us, we would have been killed or even worse. Thank the gods for Pekora and her friends. The bandit numbers dwindled like they were wheat going against a scythe. I think it was only thanks to them that we made it out alive._

* * *

"Alright!" cheered on Mio as healing washed over her. She was still unable to hit the dodgy bandits but at least there was some relief. However, with the tiefling now in the air, the three bandits that she held back earlier were free to run in and fight the others.

"STAY HOME!" shouted Miko again, blasting the bandit captain in the face with a savage glee. However, she forgot there were other bandits, two of which ran at her and slashed her arm for attacking their captain.

Noting that the bandits are now too near, Pekora swung off her horse, landing on the right side. She gave the order again and then shot at a bandit from under the horse. The bolt buried itself in the bandit's leg, getting a cry of painful surprise. Smirking, she reloaded while her cloaked companion heard the order and punched the bandit in front of Mio in the chest.

Taking advantage of her distraction, the half-elf captain jammed her shortsword into Miko's shoulder, getting more cries of pain. At the same time, the last bandit from Choco's group ran up behind Mio and was able to slip his blade into the gap of her shoulder armor. She hissed as she got another cut from that. With the half-elf bandit, he continued his onslaught against Subaru's back, drawing more blood.

Choco swooped down and landed next to the bandit near the horse to attack, but the bandit blocked with his shortsword. Mio tried to hit the injured bandit but her aim was off due to the sudden attack from beside her. That same injured bandit decided enough was enough and tried to get away but the wolf lady reacted in time and smashed her mace on his head, his body crumpling to the ground.

Angry with the interference, Miko shouted, "STAY HOME!" and aimed the bell at the more injured bandit, blasting his body away. The bandit next to him, knowing that his boss was still alive, took the chance and attacked, making the injury on her arm worse. Furious, she pointed at him and chanted, lighting the air around him on fire. He screamed until he fell down dead.

Pekora tried to run and put some distance between her and the intense fighting. The bandit recently engaging took notice and slashed her from the side but missed. The rabbit princess turned around and shot that same bandit but the bolt whistled past his ear. Repeating her order, the cloaked companion moved to another bandit and made to swipe against him but they missed.

"Grr, we can still make this!" yelled out the bandit captain as she attacked Miko who was anticipating this and danced out of the way despite her mangled arm.

"No, you won't!" yelled Subaru in return as she locked swords with her and tried to shove her away but the captain held firm despite being blasted and set on fire multiple times. The other bandit was still stabbing her in the back and she wanted so much to turn around and slice the guy up but she knew if she did that, he would get to Miko and she couldn't let that happen.

Watching Miko take out two bandits by herself, Choco stopped in place and started chanting, stretching out her shield towards the pink warlock to heal her. She then ran over to help Mio, who was finally able to smack one of the two bandits in front of her in the shoulder.

The pink warlock felt relieved when some of her wounds closed thanks to the tiefling. Focusing on the captain, "Still think you can make it, fool?" She tried to send another eldritch blast at her but the captain was able to slap her hand holding the bell with the flat of her shortsword, the blast shooting wide.

Meanwhile, Pekora reloaded and shot the half-elf bandit plaguing Subaru, the bolt whistling and cutting the bridge of his nose. Then, she quickly went back to reloading and repeating her order.

The cloaked companion continued to attack the bandit in front of them, their punch actually knocking the bandit's head off.

"You bitch!" the captain replied and tried to stab Miko.

"No!" shouted Subaru and tried to divert the attack. Instead of reopening a closed wound was now just a shallow slash to the pink warlock's arm.

The remaining bandit that was engaging Mio was now surrounded by the wolf lady, the tiefling, and the mystery cloaked companion. Seeing his side was now outnumbered, he dropped his weapon and turned to flee. He did not make it as maces from both clerics collided with his body, knocking the breath out of his chest and snapping his spine in two.

With the bandit captain so focussed on Miko, Subaru easily stabbed her leg again. The last remaining bandit lost his nerve and proceeded to run away into the forest. With their own enemies dead, Choco hurried over and healed Miko to full health while Mio cast Sacred Flame, bringing a beam of holy fire down on the captain. Unfortunately, she evaded it just in the nick of time and left herself open to a different attack.

"STAY HOME!" shouted Mio, directing her bell at the captain and blasting her again.

Smirking, Pekora shot another bolt while ordering the cloaked companion to her side, the steel projectile burrowing into the captain's stomach.

"Damn you! Damn you!" yelled the bandit captain as she suddenly ran past Subaru, heading straight for the rabbit princess. Unluckily for her, she wasn't fast enough for Subaru's longsword, a very deep gash cutting through her back. Her run slowed down so much until she was taking slow, shaky steps before dropping to her knees in front of Pekora.

"HA↓ HA↑ HA↑ HA↑ HA↑ HA↑" she laughed as she looked down at the dying, glaring half-elf, "For trying to pekosinate me, I peko you to death. HA↑ HA↑ HA↑ HA↑"

She suddenly stopped talking when Miko walked over and slapped her head. "Stop laughing. We need to get to the next town now."

Pouting, the princess walked back to the horse and mounted it. Ordering her other companion to follow, the princess looked over to them and asked, "Are you pekoing us?"

"We will. We just want to settle these guys first, your Highness," Subaru replied politely.

The rabbit princess smiled and guided the horse ahead, her two companions following after. Then, the three went on to search the bodies. From what Subaru and Choco experienced and what Mio remembered, only the more valuable stuff should be taken. The armor would be too worn down after the battle to take. Weapons? Maybe only the better-maintained ones, if they could find any. After the search, they could only find enough for five gold. A little disappointed but these were bandits after all. They quickly caught up with the princess' party and together, they reached the town of Greenwish without problem. They went into the local inn, The Wishing Well, and had something to eat. Apparently, the princess was a picky eater and she ordered us to give her all the vegetables and fruits.

* * *

_We didn't mind too much and she got another smack to the head for being rude courtesy of Miko. Then, Pekora and her party went to the other exit and rested by the side of the road while me and my friends went to the general store and the blacksmith to look around. We sold off the extra waterskins as we won't be near the desert any time soon and bought a potion of healing. I sold my old longsword and traded in my battered leather armor and my longbow with the arrows for a set of scale mail._

_Having donned my new armor, we went to meet the others at the gate. After rejoining them, we left the town and continued on our way. Very thankful that nothing decided to attack us. The bandits were bad enough. We reached the small town of Solena by evening time. Honestly, it looked more like a village than a town. We checked in the inn and had our dinner in the common room. Strangely, Pekora was being quite generous today, offering to pay for dinner. The tavern was opposite us but it was strangely quiet. The innkeeper seemed to be acting weird. I think Mio also picked up on this since she walked over and started talking to him. A moment later, she came back to us with some weird news._

* * *

"So, there has been a tiger with large fangs preying on the villagers," she informed them, "A few villagers have been killed. It hasn't been seen in the daytime, so the chief has ordered a curfew to minimize deaths. There has been talk on getting outside help and it is said that the chief has already asked a hunter of sorts to come and help."

"Let's help them!" said Subaru excitedly.

"Hng, as much as I want to help, I still feel very tired after beating up those bandits," groaned Choco as she slumped back into her chair, "I could cast another spell given by my goddess, but then I'm stuck with my lesser spells and my mace."

"Well, I'm interested," chimed in Miko.

"I will help too. I am a generous peko, so I shall show them the peko of Gekko," declared Pekora magnanimously. She then pat her cloaked companion on the hand, saying, "My steel defender can make short work of it."

"In that case, let's do this!" the former guard said with a grin, "Right, I think we can do it like this..."

The others huddled over to listen in on her plan.

* * *

Night arrived and everyone stood outside the inn. Pekora ordered her defender out into the middle of the street. Mio accompanied it, keeping her eyes and ears open. Choco chanted and laid her hand on Subaru's shield, making it glow and light up in the dark. With a grin, the former guard stepped out in the darkness and joined the other two. The tiefling stayed with the princess and the warlock nearer to the inn while the other three fanned out to try and catch the attention of the tiger with the big fangs. Fortunately or unfortunately, they didn't have to wait very long.

"It's here. I can hear it," warned Mio.

Subaru yelled in fright and horror as the tiger suddenly pounced on her from the darkness, clawing her face and biting her arm with those giant fangs. Saber-shaped fangs.

"Go help her!" Pekora ordered. She shot the tiger with her light crossbow but the bolt grazed the top of its head. The defender ran over to the tiger and smacked its head, clipping its ears.

Grinning, Miko took out her bell and rang it. "STAY HOME!" she chanted as the eldritch blast washed over the tiger, burning its fur and the skin underneath. It roared loudly.

With the tiger distracted, Subaru was able to push the tiger off while getting on her feet. Eager to fight back, she attacked and slashed the flank, slicing a deep cut into it. Meanwhile, Choco and Mio started chanting, the tiefling beseeching for healing and the wolf lady beseeching for blessing. The former guard gleamed a green light for a moment before she, Mio, and the defender radiated bright light for a few seconds.

Roaring loudly, the tiger focused on Subaru and took a swipe with its claws but she blocked them with her shield.

"Attack!" shouted Pekora as she shot at the tiger again, which went wide. The defender continued attacking, Reaching out and punching the same wound Subaru dealt to it, making it worse. Miko followed up with another eldritch blast.

"No more killing for you!" yelled Subaru as she cut off its paw after it scraped her shield and plunged her sword into its belly. With a loud roar, the tiger fell over dead. She fell to a knee, breathing heavily. She then got up, faced her party with a grin and gave them a thumbs-up using her shield hand.

" HA↑ HA↑ HA↑ HA↑" laughed Pekora proudly, "I knew we could peko it!"

"OH, MY GODS!" exclaimed the innkeeper as he ran out, "You actually did it!"

"Hi, hi, yup, we did it!" the former guard cheered tiredly.

He stood there speechless for a moment. Then, "Come, bring the tiger here in front of the inn. We can show it to the chief tomorrow and get your reward. For now, you can stay at my inn. For free!"

The whole party cheered happily.

* * *

"Amazing! Simply amazing!" exclaimed the wide-eyed chief. The villagers cheered in the background and several of the stronger ones carried it off to be skinned.

He then took a piece of cloth and rubbed his head as he continued, "But I already hired a hunter for this. How will I explain this?"

"No worries. I'm sure we could reason with them," assured Subaru.

"I suppose," muttered the chief. Taking a pouch from his pocket, he stated, "Here is the reward. One hundred gold pieces. This was for the hunter but I suggest saving it for the discussion with the hunter."

"Of course, sir," said the former guard as she gave him a salute before turning to her party, "So, I guess we wait for the hunter. I sure hope they're reasonable."

"If they aren't, we can take them," stated Miko with self-assurance.

They decided to go to the tavern and wait. At first, the wait was anxious and a little nerve-wracking. However, as time ticked by, they could feel boredom seeping in. Finally, the door to the tavern opened and a lady in simple traveling clothes, a small bag slung over her shoulder and a pack on her back stepped in. The group groaned as she didn't look like a hunter and they proceeded to ignore her.

However, she stepped closer and Subaru noticed she had dog ears coming out of her head. "Hello. Korone Inugami, bounty hunter extraordinaire. The chief said you killed the saber-tooth tiger already," she said in a jovial tone.

They took one look at her and exclaimed, "Eeeeh!?"

She tilted her head and looked at them in confusion, "What?"

**AN: Hello, readers. So concludes the bandit encounter. What a weird one it was. Then, we journey onward, alter some stuff, and then we fight a saber-tooth tiger. Right, much of these encounters will either be homebrewed stuff or referred to in the guides. Anyhow, we have a little upgrade to Subaru.**

_Oozora Subaru_

_Human Fighter_

_Interception Fighting Style_

_Banneret Martial Archetype_

**So, what does this mean? Bannerets leaders of action. They lead by actions and by words. Their actions are supposed to be inspiring. Subaru won't be having this effect immediately. No, she needs to grow into the role and learn how. Hopefully, by the actions of others. And hopefully, I can portray this well.**

**Alright, the party and our dearest bounty hunter will reach the capital in the next chapter. There we will also meet a very, very familiar face.**

**Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_I, Oozora Subaru... have not met a more approachable person as Korone. She smiles a lot and is very polite. This was quite the opposite of what I imagined a bounty hunter was supposed to be. She is so happy and easy to get along with. Even Pekora and Miko put their arguing on hold and keep the peace just to bask in her sunshine. This… is so unexpected. It hit me again that not everything follows expectations. There will always be outliers. And this is most exciting to learn. Of course, since she is so friendly, she let us keep the reward. Awesome!_

_She joined up with us to the capital since she was also based there. She mentioned another bounty hunter that she lived with named Okayu Nekomata. While she traveled around the continent on jobs, Okayu stayed in the city, helping the city watch by bringing in criminals and other people. Like an investigator. Sounds very different from my town, where Sergeant Yu was the one who took charge. I guess the bigger the city, the more guards you need. And sometimes it may not be enough. Kind of makes me glad that my town isn't too big._

_The capital. Rivirapolis, a huge city that was built over the main river of the continent, with white walls that stretched so far you could barely see where the curves were. It was amazing. I was so excited, I could barely contain myself when we walked under the portcullis of the southern gate. Such a huge place to explore! I really cannot wait._

* * *

"Well, this is where we part," announced Miko as Pekora and her steel defender turned to face them.

"Well, glad we could get you here safely," replied Subaru with a grin.

"Hey, give them the peko to the house," the princess told the pink warlock.

"I was getting to that. I won't forget, unlike you," she retorted as she passed a slip of parchment to the former guard.

"Hey!" shouted the rabbit indignantly as Miko led away the horse. The argument continued.

"Eh… I am not upset to see them go… although their help was appreciated," muttered Mio.

"They must be good friends," commented Korone with a smile.

Subaru shook her head and asked, "Let's find your friend. Do you live near here, Korone?"

The dog girl shook her head. "Not really, but I can lead you there. Who knows? We might run into her." She then motioned them to follow her as she led them down the streets of the southern district, her tail wagging at a constant pace with her walking.

* * *

_Thus, began our search for Okayu. The place was huge and it seemed like there were food vendors at every corner street. Paved roads and wood-and-stone houses. From what they could get from Korone, the royals live at the center of the city in a large castle. The first two rows around the castle were noble houses while everyone else lived around it. Slums dotted the outermost circles but were surprisingly not as large, but big enough to have the more seedier people conduct their business safely. It's those places where the cat girl operates, hunting down criminals with bounties on them._

_As for the whole city watch, a whole network of guardhouses were set up to cover the whole city. Each guardhouse as well as the gatehouses were staffed with several guards, with the gatehouses double that number. As for the administration of the guards, there was a central guardhouse where the higher-ups would meet within the nobles area. However, we didn't exactly have to go that far in to bump into Korone's best friend. Her words, not mine._

* * *

A white-furred cat girl shook hands with the two patrolling guards. The guards were dressed in blue and yellow kit, with leather armor and a single spear each. The cat girl wore a darkened studded leather armor with a dark blue cloak draped over her shoulders. Peeking out from the cloak was a finely carved light crossbow and the handle of a shortsword wrapped with fine leather. She was on her way across the road when…

"Okayu!" cheered Korone as she leaped on the cat girl's back.

"Wha-? Hey, hey!" Okayu exclaimed in surprise as the dog girl landed on her back. Luckily, she was able to keep her balance or she would have fallen face-first on the pavement. "Korone, didn't I tell you not to do that," she scolded exasperatedly with a smile on her face.

" _She sounds angry but doesn't look the part_ ," thought Subaru as the former got off and apologized profusely to the latter.

"Ha, ha, it's fine Korone, I'm not mad," said the cat girl after her friend did a few comical bows with her tail drooping in embarrassment, "Just try and remember not to do that again. It's dangerous."

"Okay!" the dog girl cheered with a mock salute, her tail standing upright again.

"This is too cute," muttered Choco as the bounty hunters came over.

"Ha, ha, I could use some wholesome after the past few days," commented Mio gladly.

"Hello, I'm Oozora Subaru, family name Oozora," the fighter introduced herself, then gesturing to the clerics, "This is Choco and Mio." They just waved with a smile.

"Hello, as I'm sure you know by now, I'm Okayu," she greeted. She then scratched her chin and mumbled something unintelligible. Then she said, "Heh, I think… have any of you done any detective work before?"

"Hmm, I may have done some before," said Mio hesitantly. Choco shook her head and shrugged.

"Not really. All I did was just help. I don't know that much," the former guard added, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I've just been hired to do a case," the cat girl mentioned, "I can't really say here, but it will involve checking out a house."

"Hmm, I would like to learn how… I guess I'll follow your lead," decided Subaru.

"I'll help as well," added Mio.

"Alright, you two can-"

"Hnn, did I come at a bad time, Okayu?" asked Korone suddenly.

"Nah, you know you're always welcome," corrected her friend, who then suggested, "Hey, how about bringing Choco with you to buy stuff to make dinner."

"Sure!" the dog girl instantly replied with a beaming smile, her tail wagging up a storm. She then suddenly walked off, only pausing to drag the now-worried tiefling with her.

With that settled, the bounty hunter/detective turned to the remaining two and said, "Alright. Let's go. I'll explain when we get there."

* * *

They followed Okayu into the noble district, much to their surprise and curiosity. They ended up in front of a large house surrounded by a moderately large garden and a brick wall. Strange enough, there were two guards at the gate who let them in. After letting them inside the house, the hunter closed the door and motioned to the side.

In the empty dining room, Okayu explained, "Alright, this is what I have so far. The noble that lived here died this morning, during breakfast. Most likely a poison of sorts. What I have been hired for is finding out who did it, who helped with it, and trying to bring them in. So, first step, talking to the servants of the house. There are four maids and a manservant that you need to talk to. While you're doing that, I'm going to figure out how they got in. After we're done, we meet back here. Ready?"

"You can count on us," Subaru declared confidently.

"Alright, I'll hold you to it. Let's begin," the former announced.

The servants were confined to their rooms upstairs. The first two maids they interviewed yielded no results. They were nowhere near the kitchen as they were busy tidying the house. The third maid, however…

"I… cannot say," the maid muttered bashfully.

"Why not?" questioned Subaru puzzled.

Mio, however, was aware of the slight blushing on the maid's face and picked up on a hint. "I suspect this has something to do with her master."

"Ah… alright, a different question. Where were you this morning?" the former guard asked.

"I… I can't. I must not say," the maid affirmed, still looking red.

Subaru sighed and threatened calmly, "You do know this looks very bad for you if you refuse to say anything. If we do find out who did this to your master, you may be punished as well just because you refused to help. So, I'm asking you again. Where were you this morning?"

"Um… I was… in the master's room..." the half-elf maid finally sputtered out, the blush slowly filling up her cheeks.

"Subaru. I don't think she would have been able to cause her master's death. She was… busy doing something else," chided Mio.

"Eh? Doing what?" asked the puzzled fighter. The cleric leaned over and whispered something into her ear. The blush that appeared on her face was even redder than that of the maid's.

"A-a-a-a-alright. Er-er-erm, no more questions!" she stuttered heavily while quickly retreating out of the room. Mio just giggled and followed her out of the room.

The fourth maid didn't give them anything either. Then, they interviewed the manservant.

"Ah, yes. I did know about that," admitted the human butler, "It is my duty to know where all the maids are and what they are supposed to be doing, after all."

"And would any of them harbor any ill-will to your master?" asked Subaru.

"Not that I know of. He generally treated us very well," he replied.

"And what about you? Do you harbor any ill-will?" she continued.

"No, I don't believe I do. That would imply that I have some dissatisfaction with my position in life and I can assure you, I do not. I count myself lucky to have reached here by myself," the former explained.

Glancing over to Mio, who nodded, she finally said, "Very well, thanks for answering our questions."

"My pleasure, madam."

"Hng, we didn't seem to get anything out of this," she muttered after closing the door.

"At the most, we proved that they had nothing to do with this," said Mio in a reasoning voice.

"Yeah, I guess that's alright too," she conceded as they went down the stairs and into the dining room.

"So, what did you find?" asked Okayu, who was already there.

"None of them know anything," the former guard stated.

"At most, they are worried about future employment. I don't know about you, but I do feel concerned about them," added the wolf lady.

"Hmm, so it was an outside job," the cat girl muttered as she paced around the dining table, "There were scratches on the back wall, a spot where it would be the closest to the kitchen. Anyone with a grappling hook, makeshift or not, would be able to get over. The poisoner would also have to be sneaky enough to get in and out of the kitchen to lace the noble's breakfast before it was sent out."

She then stopped and turned to them and said, "Now, we need to figure out why. If we can figure out why, then we can pinpoint which of his enemies would be willing to go this far."

"Enemies?" repeated Subaru.

"Nobles, good and bad, always have enemies and people that don't like them," Okayu explained with a knowing smirk, "Knowing who and why can help me find out my real target in this hunt."

"I may be able to help."

They looked to the doorway and found the manservant standing there.

"I overheard the master complaining about another who was dragging out talks with another kingdom," he informed them, "It was very hard to achieve consensus with the disruptions. The master had no idea why."

"Ah, that's good to know. Very good to know," said Okayu with a gleam in her eyes, "Please, tell me more."

* * *

After getting the details from the manservant, they left the house. Okayu needed to report her findings so they split up after she told them where her house was. Now, they were standing in front of Pekora's house. The garden around it was smaller but the walls were just as high. They informed the rabbit guard and they were allowed in.

"Ah, welcome to the ambassador's house," greeted Miko as they met in the reception room. She motioned to the bag on the side table and said, "Here is your reward. Three hundred gold pieces."

"Woah, that's a lot," muttered Subaru as she walked over to pick it up.

Mio, however, had another idea. "So, I heard that there are talks going on," she mentioned casually.

Miko nodded and replied, "So you heard? The trade talks are moving along fine but there is this annoying little noble that keeps making stupid requests and causing the princess to lose her temper."

"Hmm, who exactly?" the latter pressed on.

"A diminutive thing called Dobery," the former informed rather dismissively, "I rather the fool shut his mouth and let the talks get over with already. Then, I can send the princess back and continue on my journey."

"Er, ok..." Mio trailed off, sensing she touched a nerve.

"Give our thanks to the princess for this," Subaru said jovially, attempting to diffuse the tenseness, "We'll be going now."

"Ah, yes. Goodbye. It was nice to see you again," the pink warlock said politely.

* * *

"Hey, Mio?" spoke up Subaru after leaving Pekora's house.

"Yes?" returned the cleric as they sought out Okayu's house.

"Are you going to go now?" she asked.

"Ah, worried about me leaving?" was the question as they turned a corner, "Hmm, right now… no. I mean, I do have to leave and take the gold back. But… we are in the middle of helping with that murder. I would feel bad if I abandoned you all halfway."

"Aww, thanks Mama Mio," she said with a grateful grin.

"Mama Mio," the wolf lady repeated, "When did I get that name?"

"Well, it felt like you've been pretty much taking care of us from back at the port until now," the former guard explained, "Like a den mother or something. So, Mama Mio. You don't like it?"

"Ha, ha, it's fine. As long as it isn't something rude, I won't mind," the latter assured.

"Hi, hi, thanks," said Subaru happily.

Reaching the house, they met up with Okayu at the same time.

"Mogu, mogu! How was the rest of your day?" she greeted jovially.

"We learned something interesting about your hunt," Subaru mentioned with a grin as the cat girl opened the door.

"Oh? Sounds good. Well, that can wait until I finish making dinner," she told them as she motioned and invited them in.

"Yay, they're back!" cheered Korone as they came in.

"Thank my goddess you're back," said Choco wearily, "Please don't leave me with her again. That one is too hyper for her own good."

"Ok, let's see what we have to work with," said Okayu as she went to the kitchen area.

"Come, have a seat!" said Korone as she pushed them over to the big table. There were two benches with plenty of space on both sides. "So, how was your day?" she asked the other two.

"It was amazing. First, we helped Okayu with her investigation. And then… what are you doing?" Subaru started to tell with gusto but stopped when Korone unslung and then opened her small bag.

"Nothing. Just looking at my fingers," the dog girl assured them as she looked in the bag.

"Fingers?" the three repeated in confusion.

"Yes, fingers. See?" she said with an angelic smile as she pulled a freshly cut troll finger and showed it to them.

They looked at her in shock, silent and wide-eyed with disbelief. And they remained silent as they were regaled by the story of the troll she hunted down for a job. But, they weren't paying that much attention as they were wondering why such a wholesome, nice dog girl could have this kind of hobby while staring at the finger.

A sigh was let out and their storyteller froze. Okayu had come to the table with two bowls of soup. "What did I say, Korone?"

"Ah… don't talk about fingers at the table?" said the dog girl with a sheepish grin.

"And not in front of other people," she continued as she set the bowls down, "They won't understand."

"Ou… I just want to make new friends..." the latter muttered with a pout, putting away her storytelling aid.

"Not with fingers," the cat girl chided, "Now, help me move the food to the table. Then, we can start eating."

**AN: Hello, readers. Here, we have newcomers. Last chapter we showed off a little of Korone. This chapter we have the other half, Okayu.**

**Right, this is what we have for Korone.**

Korone Inugami

Wild Inugami, Multiclass Monk/Fighter(Mariner)

Path of the Astral Self/Battle Master

**So, to those who have no idea what it is, Path of the Astral Self is where you get a Stand. In the simplest terms. Yes, Korone gets a Stand. Pulled this from one of the Hololive animation shorts.**

**Next is Okayu.**

Okayu Nekomata

Domestic Nekomata, Fighter(Archery)

Sharpshooter

**So, I don't really follow what games Okayu plays, but I wanted to have her do the semi-opposite of what Korone does. Both are bounty hunters. Korone travels. Okayu operates in the city. Korone gets up close and personal in fights. Okayu picks them off from range and only goes in to finish them off. They have a shared backstory where they were hunting the same person in the capital when they met. Deciding to work together, they struck up a good friendship. It led to them living in the same house, doubling as their home base.**

**Alright, we shall have more on the investigation and a little bit of city life in the next chapter.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_I would never have known that Korone has such a hobby. Or is it a hobby? Then again, is this just trophy taking? Does she only take fingers from monsters or… No, no, no, not going down that… No. No. Think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts._

_Anyway, Okayu went out again after dinner. To the tavern to fish for more information. She explained that these kinds of things may take a lot of time and I should probably do something else. Maybe do something else or find out if there is someone that needs help. I guess I can try and find something to do in the meantime? Maybe get something very nice out of it._

* * *

"Ha? I have to go searching by myself?" asked Subaru in surprise.

"Only half a day at the very least," said Mio as she was currently dressed in her religious attire, "It's been a while since I visited a shrine to pay my respects to my goddess and I hear there is one outside the city."

Glazing over at the sleeping Choco, the former guard asked, "And what happened to her?"

"She stayed up all night for a moon vigil," the wolf lady explained as she opened the door to the guest room, "Come, we should let her sleep."

"Alright," muttered the former.

They went down to find Korone having bread and cheese for breakfast. "Good morning!" she greeted with a beaming smile. Getting waves in return, she watched them as they sat down to eat their share. "So, what's going to happen today?" she asked, her eyes brimming with curiosity.

"I need to ask around for work. Mio is going to visit the shrine," Subaru answered a little glumly.

"Work? Oh!" the dog girl exclaimed with a grin, "I know a place where you can ask around. I can take you there after breakfast."

"Really? Yosh, sounds good!" said Subaru, sharing her enthusiasm.

* * *

"Why did I agree to this again?" muttered Subaru as she descended down the stairs.

Krone took her to a tavern she frequented for job hunting. Unfortunately, the barkeep wanted to test her and told her to kill as many rats as she could in his cellar. With no help.

"Urgh, it stinks," she continued as she lifted the lantern given to her by the barkeep, "Is it like this on purpose?"

As she stepped on the cold stone floor, the darkness lit up with four pairs of eyes. Chittering sounds increased as four giant rats rushed at her.

"What!? These aren't normal rats!" she shouted in surprise as she proceeded to defend herself.

The rats were relentless and they swarmed her. She did the best she could but she was more used to fighting with her shield, not with a torch over her head. She killed two of the rats but one of them died mid-jump and the body knocked her down. She screamed, her torch falling to the side, and the other two rats went to town. The last thing she was before she fainted was someone jumping in and kicking the rats away.

Subaru awoke to find Korone staring at her from above. She screamed and sat up in fright. The barkeep and everyone present laughed. Thoroughly embarrassed, she got up and took a seat at the bar, her face very red.

"Well, missy, looks like you didn't make it through the test," teased the bronze, rotund man.

"Don't be so mean, Fatty. She's the newest in her group. She's probably not too used to it yet," chided the dog girl.

"How long was I out?" asked the former guard quietly.

"An hour," he said before turning to the dog girl, "And why are you still calling me that? You're not a kid anymore."

"Farun Al-Tared is too long. F. A T. So you're Fatty," she explained with a grin.

"Gah, you're lucky I like you, you mangy mutt. Or I'd toss you out for this shit," he retorted. She only giggled with a smirk. Turning back to the quiet fighter, he said, "Well, bad luck down there. But, from what miss doggy says here, you killed two. So, here's five silver for you."

"Thank you," Subaru mumbled as she slipped the pieces into her belt pouch.

"Hey, don't be so glum," Korone said softly as she threw a hand around her shoulder into a half hug, "It's fine if you can't finish or are unable to finish the job. Don't let it stop you from learning from it and being better."

The former guard kept quiet for a moment before replying softly, "Thanks, Korone."

The bounty hunter replied with a beaming smile.

Subaru then said, "I'm alright now. Do you mind if I go by myself? I need some time to think."

"Okay."

She smiled, retrieved her shield and longsword, and left the tavern. She walked slowly by the side of the road, heading back to the house. She wasn't really paying attention to what was in front of her, busy thinking over what Korone said.

" _Don't let it stop you from learning and being better… It does make a lot of sense. Instead of non-stop attacking, I probably should have drunk my potion instead of saving it. I might have lasted longer then. What else could I have done? Wha_ -"

She got jolted out of her thoughts when someone bumped into her. She felt something tugging at her belt. She looked down and blinked. She turned around and tried grabbing the hand that took her pouch but missed by a hair's breadth. Gritting her teeth, she immediately ran after the pickpocket. The chase went down the street and into a side road, then into an alley. A blocked up alley. The pickpocket, upon realizing her mistake, turned around and drew out two daggers to defend herself.

"Today, I had a bad start," Subaru said as she drew out her longsword and shield, "Yeah, I learned a lot about myself, but a bad start. I refuse to let it be worse, so please give it back."

"No," refused the pickpocket as she lunged forward in desperation.

The former guard wasn't fast enough and the dagger sliced a cut on her arm. She returned the favor with an upward swing, her blade cutting deep into her armor and her chest.

"Please, don't do this," she pleaded, "I just want my money back and we can just walk away."

"Gack, sorry, but... if I don't, argh..." the pickpocket retorted and came at her again, lunging for her face. She missed when the former guard ducked and impaled herself on the sword.

"No… ah..." she whispered as she slipped off the blade, Subaru catching her and slowly laid the body on the ground.

She sighed. Bandits and monsters were one thing but in the city… people just want to live their lives. Muttering her apologies, she wiped her sword on an old rag and sheathed it. She picked up her pouch and reattached it to her belt. She quickly left the alley and headed back to Okayu's house.

"Hello, how was your day so far?" asked Mio, who reached the door the same time she did.

"Not… so good," muttered Subaru as she went in and sat on the bench. Mio followed after and sat next to her. The fighter spent the next hour detailing what happened to her.

When it was all let out, the wolf lady hugged her from the side, petting her head. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. But, we are put through trials and tests every day. There will be times where the simple things are the ones that make us fall down. It is more important to pick ourselves up and move forward. What doesn't break us can make us stronger."

"Thank you, Mama Mio," she whispered and sniffled.

Then, they heard the muffled creak of the boards. Glancing up, they saw Okayu coming down the stairs.

The cat girl looked at both of them and asked, "Eh? Did I miss anything?"

* * *

Once everyone else had returned to the house and they had something to eat, Okayu told them what she learned from visiting a couple of the taverns around the city. Apparently, word on the street was that someone had been around the slums, hiring several gangs for something. She couldn't get any more than that.

"So, I figure we could catch one gang member and interrogate him," said the urban bounty hunter with a grin, "The nearest one here would be the Rat Splitters. From what I know, they are mostly from the slums in the south-east of the city. They control several warehouses where they can operate from. Their boss, half-orc that called himself Crack Tooth, was recently captured by yours truly and imprisoned for assault at the Guard Headquarters. So at most, we'd be fighting some goons and one of their lieutenants."

"Ah, so we go out at night?" asked Choco, looking quite interested.

"Yup," Okayu confirmed, "We can go an hour after dinner."

"Ooh, more fingers..." muttered Korone with a shine in her eyes. Her look still frightened the three adventurers, but the cat girl just shook her with a resigned smile.

* * *

Boots scraped and crunched against the street. The cloaked figure leaned against the wall and held up her hand. Okayu peered around the corner and observed. Nobody was outside. She could see flickering candlelight inside. She motioned to follow and walked slowly around the corner, straight for the warehouse. They waited out the double doors of the entrance and Subaru took point on the left side. Okayu was behind her, ready to shoot. Mio, Korone, and Choco, in that order, were lined up on the right side. The clerics chanted as softly as they could to rain blessings on the party.

The moment the prayers ended, Subaru threw the door open and shouted, "You are under arrest!"

Everyone inside the small warehouse froze. Then, the goons scrambled for their weapons. Four of them ran inside, Korone throwing a few darts at one visible goon, taking cover behind some barrels around the front support pillars. What they didn't anticipate was goons on the second floor and they were shot at from the front and the top. Luckily, most of the shots missed, a few shots from the front grazing them but two from the top were lodged into Subaru's and Choco's shoulders.

Once the first volley was over, Korone and Subaru charged forward and threw all the goons on the ground floor into disarray. The resulting confusion helped Okayu greatly, as she just knelt down at the doorway and sniped several goons, instantly killing them with rapid firing and rapid reloading. Meanwhile, Choco spread her wings and went after the first floor shooters. In spite of taking multiple shots to the back, it was only thanks to Mio's healing that the tiefling was able to take out two of the goons with a combination of her mace and a summoned weapon from her goddess.

Korone was a flurry of blows and kicks, even successfully knocking out one of the goons after remembering that her friend needed one for interrogation. Subaru covered her back and also took out a few of her own. Then, Choco flew in with Mio behind her and healed up the both of them. Then, they mopped up the rest of the goons without any trouble.

Once she saw that the others were handling it well, Okayu sneaked up the other side and took some shots at the other two first floor goons. Their reactions were better but at least one shot was stuck in the other's shoulder. What she didn't expect was one of the lieutenants to be there as well. He was lurking in the darkness, observing the fight. She didn't even realize he was there when he suddenly appeared and attacked her. She fought as well as she could, even killing one of the goons as they ganged up on her but she could only do so much with just a shortsword. A lucky stab to the stomach took much out of her and she was forced onto the wooden railing.

Her cry of pain drew the other's attention. They ran back to the doorway just as she was kicked off the first floor.

"OKAYU!" cried out Korone when she saw her best friend falling helplessly, crashing to the floor headfirst. She fell to her knees, her eyes wide in shock, tears forming in her eyes.

Choco quickly dropped her mace and placed her hand on the cat girl's bloodied head. Chanting and beseeching her goddess for help, A radiant glow covered her as the tiefling worked on stabilizing the poor girl.

Her condition enraged Subaru and Mio, but after noticing the remaining goon aiming his crossbow at the unconscious girl, they ran to protect her with their shields. It was then a loud yell filled the air and every pair of eyes looked at Korone. She was shouting to the heavens. Her entire body seemed tensed up and slowly… a ghostly visage seemed to overlap her face, a more bestial dog, while two muscular and ghostly arms appeared over her shoulders. With a roar, she dashed up the stairs and straight at the two remaining enemies.

She appeared in their sights and seemed to spark a fear in them. The first punch sent the lieutenant scurrying backward in fear. The remaining goon tried attacking, but she seemed to duck out of the way while a ghostly punch slammed him through the wooden rails around the stairs, killing him. The lieutenant was able to gather his wits and tried to attack but a shot to the solar plexus doubled him over. Another punch crashed his body upright into a pillar and loosening his grip on one of his short shortswords.

"-wheeze- the fuck are you?" the lieutenant said weakly as he held his remaining sword in front defensively. Her reply was a continuous flurry of blows.

"...oraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraORA! HORAYO!"

Her vengeful roar triumphantly sounded as her final punch buried his head in the wooden pillar. It left her breathing heavily. Downstairs, Mio and Subaru were left shocked at the sudden brutality. Admittedly, it was warranted. Okayu was her best friend and for her to snap like that… shows how much she meant to her. The wolf lady glanced behind her and noticed that the extensive healing from Choco has helped and the tiefling was now helping Okayu to sit up. She then looked up and caught sight of Korone's tearful face looking over the wooden railing.

The dog girl zoomed down the stairs and threw herself at the cat girl at record speed. She hugged the recently healed hunter while nuzzling her neck, muttering, "Okayu, Okayu, Okayu, Okayu..."

The cat girl sighed with wry relief and returned the hug, replying, "I'm sorry for worrying you, Korone. I'm back."

**AN: Hello, readers. Now that they are in the capital, time to have some downtime. Subaru goes through some minor hardships. Nothing much to worry about. Mama Mio is ready to lend her her ears and to provide a moment of relief. Then, we have a gang takedown at night, led by Okayu and Korone. Time for the OkaKoro team to shine. We also learn what happens when you hit on Okayu in front of Korone. You will not survive.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. In place of this horrific event, we shall have some wholesome stuff later on.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_I have never been so scared. Ever. It was just one thing after another. Okayu almost bleeding out. Korone going crazy. We helped them carry the remaining goon over to the nearest guardhouse. The night watchmen were quite surprised when we showed up with that guy in tow. With our night activities done, we headed back to Okayu's house and settled in for bed._

_I woke up in the middle of the night and felt a little thirsty. I went downstairs to get some water and found a surprise._

* * *

Subaru went wide-eyed. "Eh, Korone? You're still awake?" she asked as she came near the table.

"Ah, hi, hi, I just want to help Okayu a bit," admitted the dog girl as she eyed the report, "I still feel bad about not covering for her earlier. At least she could have a day off tomorrow. To rest."

"That's awfully nice of you," she replied with a grin.

"So that's where you are."

"Eh, why are you awake? You should be resting," exclaimed Korone softly as Okayu walked over and slid on the bench beside her.

"You're still awake," cat girl muttered sleepily as she leaned into her best friend, who giggled as her face got brushed by the fur and said, "That tickles."

The dog girl then yelped when she suddenly slipped down and laid her head on her lap. She began stroking her fur, the report now forgotten.

The former guard smiled at the scene and quietly took her water. She then crept back upstairs so as to not disturb the cute scene.

* * *

Subaru yawned a little as she walked down the road. Mio was asking about recipes from the bounty hunters. Choco was a traveling herbalist, so she was walking around the poorer parts of town offering her services. She… had nothing to do. She didn't really want to visit that bar again. The barkeep might want to send her after rats again. She mentally shuddered at the memory. So, she was wandering around the city, on the lookout for troubled people… people she could offer to help and stuff.

She was knocked out of her thoughts when someone knocked into her and exclaimed, "Oh, sorry! So, so sorry! Are you alright?"

The former guard blinked her eyes, as if not believing them. "Mel? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

Mel only grinned sheepishly, "Erm… I'm out to find another ruin?"

Subaru groaned and said, "So I guess… Haato isn't here?"

"Will you be mad if I say no?" continued the wizard.

She groaned even more.

* * *

"Thanks for having me around," said Mel gratefully.

They met at another tavern that Okayu usually frequented for lunch. They pretty much filled the table in the corner, the table full of food and drink.

"Don't mention it," Okayu replied with a smile, "We're all friends here at this table."

"Alright, so… she found another ruin," Subaru informed them.

"Ah. She wants to go solo again I bet," snarked Choco in between bites, "Is this good luck or bad luck she found us?"

"That sounds mean," commented Korone.

"Last time, her friend had to hire us to help get her," the tiefling grumbled, "If it weren't for a vampire hunting party, we would all be vampires by now."

"Alright, enough. At least it was a learning experience for you," said Mio, wanting to defuse the discussion.

"Ok, so where is the ruin you are trying to find now?" asked Subaru, finishing her meal.

"It's actually in the forest west of here," she told them, "I have a map actually, so I know how far we need to go." Then, she added at a lower tone of voice, "Haato also made sure that I knew what I was doing."

"Eh, what did she do?" asked the former guard.

"She locked me in her library and told me to study until I know what I'm doing," she replied softly. When everyone at the table started giggling, she retorted, "Stop laughing! It was too much. I know more now but it was an annoying experience."

"Well, she cares for you. Of course, she would do that," snarked the tiefling again amidst the laughter.

"Well, Korone and I can't go with you," the cat girl told them as the wizard pouted, "We still have that goon to, ahem, interview. Or at least help the guard to do it. Hopefully, we can get something useful out of him."

"Looks like it's up to the rest of us to help you, Mel," the former guard quipped up.

"As long as we organize this carefully," reminded Choco with a frown, "I rather not have a repeat performance and have her turn into something else."

* * *

_We pretty much agreed on that statement. Extra rations and waterskins seem to be a must. We also elected to hire some porters to carry our packs and the extra stuff. Mel was estimating a three-day trip, but now with all the help, it might be less. The types of ruins are small and unheard of, so she could generally go in and go out with ease. According to Mama Mio, the girl seems to forget that there are many things which can go wrong. Bumping into monsters on the way there. Monsters and traps in the ruins. This feels nerve-wracking actually. We could only leave the city the next day_.

* * *

"Mel, slow down!" called out an exasperated Subaru, "I know you're eager but geez..."

"But it's so close already!" complained Mel, "It would have been faster if I went on my own."

"And when you run off by yourself, you won't have anyone watching your back," retorted Choco.

"Can we take a break to eat? We've been walking all morning and we just went past lunchtime. Our hired help need to eat too, you know," Mio asked them as she gestured behind her, the three porters nodding eagerly.

"Alright, fine..." grumbled Mel as she kicked away a small pebble.

They paused their trek through the forest and put their stuff around a large tree.

"Ok, if one of you can go foraging, I can hunt something for us," the innkeeper informed them, "Get the porters to help if you want. I'm sure they want something to fill their bellies just as much as you do."

"Look there," pointed out the former guard. Everyone followed her finger and saw a deer grazing around ten feet away. Everyone immediately kept quiet so as to not startle it.

"Huh, that was fast. I better take off my armor and..." muttered Mio but before she could do so, something seemed to startle the deer and it burst into a gallop, dashing straight past their group.

From the underbrush, a gnoll hunting pack ran out, in pursuit of the deer. Both sides froze in surprise. For a few seconds, nobody moved. Then, the pack leader barked out, "Hunt! Kill!" That galvanized everyone; the porters retreated a few feet behind while everyone else got ready for a fight. The gnolls took potshots as both sides took cover behind the trees, Subaru getting a few shallow cuts. Then, Mel started chanting and gesturing in a circle with both hands. Suddenly, a huge cloud of dense fog separated them from the gnolls.

"Nice going Mel," praised Subaru with a grin, "That should stall them. Let's get ready."

Subaru stepped around the tree and got ready. There was a lot of barking going on in the fog. With a howl, the pack leader came out of the fog already swinging its ramshackle glaive, with two more behind it thrusting their spears. Her sword clashed with the glaive and her shield blocked one spear, but the second one stabbed her in the side. Almost immediately, Mio began chanting prayers for healing. Meanwhile, Mio started chanting again once she pulled out a crystal from her pocket. As she waved her hand over it, the fog disappeared and a flaming sphere suddenly appeared right behind the gnolls in front of the fighter, burning them with fire.

Subaru took this chance to attack, slashing the pack leader's arm, while Choco called down a beam of holy fire on another one. The gnolls reacted violently and continued wailing on her, leaving gashes in her legs and arms.

"Eek!" shrieked Mel as an arrow grazed her cheek. Two of the gnolls had decided to break away from the pack and attack the other members of the party. One continued shooting at the wizard while the other ran to attack Mio, taking the healing cleric by surprise.

Mel narrowed her eyes as she chanted another spell. Waving her hand over her head, three glowing darts appeared and shot at the gnolls, peppering them with force. At the same time, she mentally used the flaming sphere to ram into the gnolls as many times as she could. This turned the battle into their favor as her magic spells threw the hunting pack into disarray, the magic missiles and the flaming sphere wearing them down hard enough for the others to finish them off.

"Argh!" shouted Subaru after slashing the pack leader's chest. It jumped back and thrust its glaive into her side. At that time, Mio stopped her healing to attack one of the gnolls, which distracted it from the magic missiles that finished it off.

Burdened by the wounds, Subaru stumbled back and suddenly found herself in front of the gnoll shooting at Mel. With a growl, she slashed out at it, nicking it in the nose.

"No, Subaru!" shouted Choco with worry. She ran after the fighter, chanting and then laying her hands on her shoulder.

Unfortunately, in her tunnel vision, the gnoll pack leader charged at her while barking out orders and stabbing her in the back a few times with its glaive. The remaining gnoll in its pack then ran around the shaken fighter and bit her arm. As she screamed, it let go and stabbed her in the chest with its spear.

"No!" shouted Mio in horror. She tried getting to the tiefling but the pack leader was blocking her. "Get out of my way!" she screamed as she slammed her mace in its side.

Mel moved out and away from her hiding place, shooting more magic missiles while mentally sending the flaming sphere into the other gnoll. It howled in pain as it got burned horribly, the magic missiles slamming into the pack leader's head and leaving three dart-sized holes.

Regaining her clarity, Subaru looked at Choco in horror. With a yell, she quickly cut down the last gnoll while Mio ran over and quickly placed her hand over the other cleric, repeating the actions taken for Okayu in the past. The other two gathered next to her with trepidation. The wolf lady stopped chanting and let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank the goddess I made it," she said as she relaxed, prompting the other two to sigh in relief as well. Looking back at them, "Alright, I think we should hurry on to your ruins, Mel. We should get to a better place to defend ourselves first. Of course, not before checking the bodies first."

* * *

The bodies did not have much. Not unexpected. But, they did find a couple of dead rabbits that were dropped when the gnolls started shooting at them. Those they took. Then, for the rest of the day, they munched on their rations while trying to finish their journey before sundown. Thankfully, they did. The ruin was overgrown and covered with vines and weeds. There wasn't a clue on what kind of building it was. The entrance seemed to be blocked and there wasn't enough light to search for another one. Hence, they decided to set up camp and see what tomorrow brought them. Mio quickly took charge of making dinner. With the rabbits, she made a very tasty stew.

"Uah, that was nice. I wish I could have seconds," Subaru exclaimed as she sat back against a broken column, her stomach very satisfied.

"You won't hear a complaint from me," quipped Choco, Mel nodding in agreement.

"I'm glad you liked it," replied Mio with a smile.

Then, something caught the fighter's eye. "You still have that?" she asked as she crawled over to get that mysterious flask.

"Ah, I keep forgetting to get that identified," the wolf lady admitted, "Although, now that I think about it, what if it's just an ordinary flask? I would be wasting money if it were."

"I can do that," said Mel as she raised her hand, "It's the least I can do for your help."

Taking the flask, she took her crystal and a pearl from her pouch. Sitting down with the flask in front of her, she placed both items on either side of the flask. Taking a deep breath, she started chanting, placing one hand on the flask while the other hovered a distance over it. As the chanting continued, the crystal began to tremble and vibrate. A crack was heard and the pearl began turning into dust, swirling into the space between both hands. The crystal soon joined it. As the chant ended, the dust flashed and disappeared into the ether, the crystal falling down lifelessly.

"What!? Where did you find this!?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Um, on the side of the road, almost buried in the dirt… why?" Mio told her. The curiosity was evident on everyone else's faces.

"This iron flask is capable of trapping one creature inside it," the wizard informed and explained to them, "By saying the word 'capture' and aiming the open mouth of the flask at the creature, it will be sucked in and imprisoned. It can be summoned out when the stopper is removed. The creature will be under your complete control. But you must send it back into the flask within the hour or all control will be lost."

"Oh, my goddess… that's… a lot to take in," muttered the wolf lady in shock, covering her mouth with both hands.

"But who dropped it? Did it get left behind? If it's that powerful?" asked Subaru in confusion.

"Who knows? Maybe they got attacked by those bandits," reasoned Choco.

"That… kind of makes sense?" mused Mel, "At first glance, this would look like some ordinary drinking flask. Unless you know what to look for, you'll never know."

"Hmm, at least we know now," said the former guard with a grin, "Alright. Let's get to bed. I'll take first watch. Second watch, Choco. Third watch, Mio. And finally, Mel."

"Very eager, are we?" teased the tiefling.

"Eheh, just organizing this before the question comes up," was the sheepish reply.

"Well, it's good that you want to take charge," commented Mio with a smile, "Alright. Let's turn in for the night."

**AN: Hello, readers. So... we meet Mel again. This time, we go jungle trekking. They encounter a gnoll hunting party and Choco got in trouble. It happens sometimes when the gnoll rolls so well it downs your party member. Just like Okayu getting near death in the previous chapter, its Choco's turn. Weird thing is, I didn't plan it this way. I really am throwing dice for these battles. Dice for saving throws, skill checks, ability checks, attack rolls, damage rolls, everything with a dice roll. Not to mention that the gnoll pack leader can order its minions to attack during its turn (if I'm not mistaken) so getting double-teamed is a real risk.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter we explore the ruins.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_Nothing happened during the night. During my time, I thought back to the battle we had earlier. When Choco went down, I was… so angry. Angry at that gnoll. But, more angry at myself for letting that happen. I know I wasn't thinking clearly when I took on all those hits, but after what happened… it's a poor excuse. I'm supposed to help protect them and I lost myself. I need to keep my focus and not forget what I'm supposed to do. I must._

_Huh, I guess this is what Mama Mio meant when I need to pick myself up and move forward._

_When morning came, we had the porters guard our belongings while we explored around the ruin after breakfast. As Mel expected, part of the wall had fallen apart and we were able to get in. The place was empty, but Mel looked really excited._

* * *

"This must have been an ancient temple or shrine," muttered the wizard excitedly as she wandered around and scribbled notes on her parchment. The place was somewhat large, with a circular opening in the middle of the roof. There seemed to be two staircases that led down. However, both sets of stairs had collapsed. Mio and Subaru had gone out of the ruin to get some rope and other climbing stuff to get down.

"It must have looked magnificent when it was still active," said Choco as she walked around the middle of the room.

"Yeah, it makes you wonder, doesn't it," the former replied with a grin. She then went to the center of the room and brushed the dust and dirt with her hand, muttering, "I wonder if there is...eh?"

A loud crack echoed and suddenly the floor collapsed. Mel felt herself falling in slow motion but seconds later, Choco swooped in and grabbed her hand. The wizard screamed, her face going pale, and held on for dear life.

"What happened!? Is everyone alright?" shouted Subaru as she and Mio ran inside, sliding to a halt when they saw the large hole.

"Now, imagine what would have happened if we weren't tagging along," snarked the tiefling as she flew over and set the archaeologist next to them.

"I can see that," she gasped as she looked down, "I still want to explore the whole place."

"Well, that's what these are for," said the former guard as she held up her rope, a hammer, and some pitons.

Searching and driving the pitons into several cracks, she threaded and secured the rope in them. Then, she tossed the other end down into the hole. She motioned them over and said, "Let's go!"

* * *

"Huh, this place is a little smaller than upstairs," Mel noted as she took a good look around, "I suppose they stored supplies here or other stuff here."

"That would make sense," added Choco, and then she blinked, "Hmm, look over there." She pointed at the corner of the room.

"Eh, it's just some walls that collapsed," brushed off Subaru.

"Actually, no," said Mio as she went closer, "There's a tunnel."

"Hmm, any idea what made it?" asked the wizard curiously as she came near to examine it.

"More exploration… right, I have a good idea what she wants to do next… give me a moment," summarized the tiefling and she suddenly took off and flew out of the hole. A few moments later, she returned with Mel's map case, now empty. "There's a spare piton, right?" she asked.

Subaru's eyes seemed to shine as she figured out what Choco wanted and handed the piton to her. After casting Light on the piton, she placed it in the case and handed it to the fighter. The grinning fighter went in the tunnel first and led the way. At first, it was pretty straightforward, but eventually, they came to a branch.

"So… left or right?" asked Subaru as she turned to her party.

"Ah, hold on," said Mel as she stepped ahead and held out her arm, "Kapumin." With a burst of smoke, a bat appeared, hanging from her hand. "Help me look around. Right side first," she asked and the bat flew off to the right branch.

As it flew off, she closed her eyes and waited. Everyone waited in silence. Eventually, she said, "That path goes outside. A cave in a short rock outcropping. I think it is nearby. I'm coming back now."

The wait continued and Mel opened her eyes again, just as the scratch of the bat broke the silence. "Thanks, Kapumin. You go rest now," she said as the bat disappeared in a burst of smoke.

"Alright, let's continue," stated Subaru, everyone chiming in agreement.

They went down the left branch, careful and alert. It wasn't long they could see a faint glow at the end of the tunnel. The former guard capped the case and everyone inches closer slowly to peek into the room. It was moderately lit with torches on the wall, a bookcase in the far right corner next to a bed and a bedroll, and a table in the far left corner. Many lit candles were on the floor between the table and the bed. On the table was a book and reading it was a red-skinned tiefling wearing a brown robe. There were also six skeletons standing there, immobile. Several piles of bones littered the place too.

"What in the world is he doing?" whispered Mel as they retreated back down the tunnel a bit.

"No idea, but this is wrong," replied Choco, "He is raising the dead. No good can come of this."

Mio agreed with, "Their families already put them to rest. It is wrong to disturb them and force them to walk the earth again."

"Alright, looks like we have to stop this guy from continuing what he's doing," summed up Subaru, "Mio, Choco, if you will?"

After praying for blessings, they crept down the tunnel, hoping to surprise the necromancer. However, just as they stepped past through the doorway, something suddenly barked once.

" _What_!?" the whole party yelled mentally.

The necromancer, without turning around, called out, "Is that you, Rushia?"

" _Who's Rushia_?"

Then, that same something started barking repeatedly. The necromancer spun around, his calm face twisting in anger. "Intruders!? Minions, attack and defeat them! Defend your master!" He then stepped over to the candles and started chanting. The ground where the candles were began to glow.

* * *

Subaru shouted, "Stop him!" She led the charge, her sword swinging true and cutting down the nearest skeleton.

Then, she heard the necromancer chanting, "Souls of the damned, come to my aid!" To her shock, the pile of bones next to the fallen skeleton shook and reassembled themselves. She struck it first and broke its shield arm before it could pick it up. It stabbed her in return, its sword breaking through the scales of her armor and piercing her shoulder.

"Mio!" she heard over the sound of fighting.

She struck back with a roar, shattering its body, and then turned around. Her eyes widened as she saw Mio lying on her side, two arrows stuck in her chest. The nearest skeleton was drawing its bow.

"No!" she yelled as she ran straight for it.

* * *

Mio rushed forward with Choco, the tiefling pausing to shout, "Return to your graves!" She let a smirk grace her lips when the skeletons, save two, started running away from them. She went to the nearest one that wasn't affected and started smashing through its bones. With the help of Mel's flaming sphere, she destroyed it.

"Souls of the damned, come to my aid!"

She spun around and was shocked to find the piles of bones reassembling themselves. In her state, she was slow to react and two arrows found their way to her chest. She gasped in the pain. She didn't notice the sword being swung into her gut. Her eyes rolled up and she fell over to the side.

* * *

Choco ran forward, raised her mace, and shouted, "Return to your graves!" A blast of power radiated from her, causing several skeletons to start running away save for two. She ran to the further one and started swinging her mace.

"Souls of the damned, come to my aid!"

She glanced behind her to look and saw that five more skeletons were getting up. Now, she had to be mindful of the one in front of her and the ones behind her. She smirked when the one in front of her got peppered to a broken point by Mel's spells. It freed her to turn around and what she saw chilled her bones.

"Mio!" she yelled in horror as she ran towards the downed cleric and started to stabilize her. She broke off the arrowheads and started chanting a prayer for help.

" _Please, Mio, don't leave us yet_." she thought worriedly. She stole a glance at the necromancer and narrowed her eyes. He had stopped minding his summons and was now doing some sort of ritual. Putting that aside, she focused on saving Mio for now.

* * *

Mel stood back and cast spells. Summoning a flaming sphere behind one skeleton then sending magic missiles at all the skeletons that weren't running away. It was a little tiring, waving her arms around for the force darts like that. Even more so when the necromancer summoned more help. It was still fine until one of the new skeletons shot her in the foot. She shouted in pain and fell to one knee. Her concentration disrupted, the flaming sphere fizzled out and disappeared.

Mentally blocking out the pain, she focused on blasting the skeletons with her magic, even when another arrow found her in the shoulder. This made her even more determined to push past the pain, to take down the skeletons that weren't turned to finish this fight quickly.

* * *

Subaru clashed with the skeleton, slamming its bow away with her shield. "Mio! Come back! You have to get up! We still need you!" She smiled a little as the wolf lady's ears started twitching.

Choco's chanting reached a fervor and was delighted when the downed cleric opened her eyes and slowly got up.

Mio whispered her thanks to her party and then lifted her mace, chanting, "May your spirits be laid to rest, o' walking dead." The same radiating power came out of her in a wave. By that time, two of the new skeletons had been destroyed by the others. Two other new ones started running away while the one engaging the former guard stood its ground. With renewed vigor, they finished off all the new summons despite Subaru getting stabbed by one lucky hit.

The former guard then aimed her sword at the necromancer, who was still chanting, and said, "Alright, you're next!" She then charged confidently straight at him. In front of their eyes, she disappeared, a ripple of surprise going through them.

"Wait, what?" muttered Choco.

"Um, any ideas?" asked Mio, "Those skeletons won't stay like that for long."

"He placed a ward there," deduced Mel with a frown, "And put a teleportation spell in it. Maybe Dimension Door or another spell."

"So we can't stop him?" asked the tiefling, "Goddess, what do we do now..."

"We still have this," said the wolf lady as she pointed to the iron flask on her belt.

"Ooh, yes, yes, that could work," Mel exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Oh, no. Here they come again!" shouted Choco as the remaining three skeletons turned to face them.

Mio, knowing that fully relying on Mel to repeat her performance from earlier, ran at the nearest skeleton to lessen the number of bows aimed at them. Meanwhile, Choco stayed with Mel, trying to shield her from the arrows being shot at the wizard. Unfortunately, the arrows were surprisingly accurate and the tiefling spent more time removing arrows and trying to keep Mel alive. Relief came when Subaru burst out of the tunnel at full speed. She tossed the glowing piton aside and dashed straight at one of the free skeletons, smashing one of the arm bones. The skeleton the wolf lady was tying up finally went down, a combination of mace blows and fire bolts and she switched to healing the angry fighter. Suddenly, the necromancer started laughing.

"It's done! The ritual is done!" he shouted joyously as it looked as if his very being was being drawn into the ritual circle. He turned to face them sporting a manic grin. To their horror, his skin seemed to be being pulled taut around his body, as if his meaty insides were drying up. The skin on his face, however, was receding, revealing his bone-white skull.

They had no idea what to do. They were still dealing with the skeletons and this necromancer somehow was transforming into a lich. They couldn't deal with a lich! How could they!?

Mio knew this was now or never. She yanked the flask off her belt, opened the stopper, and shouted as she aimed it at the transforming lich, "Capture!"

"What!? Noooooooo!" screamed the recently-transformed lich as he got sucked into the flask, "This cannot be! I am... genius…!"

With the lich now removed, they mopped up the last two skeletons without trouble. As the last animated bone clattered to the floor, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and put away their weapons.

"Haaaa, this feels like I'm in that desert ruin again," moaned Mel as she sank to her knees.

"Want to try dying? I assure you it will feel worse," snarked Choco with a smirk which got her a slap to the head by Mio.

"But, I'm glad we actually won this," Subaru admitted with a sigh, "I still feel like I failed though. I didn't protect Mio and..." She was cut off when the wolf lady walked over and hugged her.

"That necromancer summoned his perverted minions and took us by surprise," the cleric said soothingly, "You couldn't have known, so stop blaming yourself for what happened to me." Releasing the hug, she ruffled the fighter's hair and stepped away to check on Mel.

This got a smile out of the former guard. " _That's Mama Mio for you_ ," she thought to herself.

"Who are you?"

Everyone turned to the doorway and their eyes went wide. A girl in a slightly-ragged black and green dress stood there. She had green hair in ox-horns tied with blue ribbon and red-tinged eyes. She was holding a basket of food in her hands.

" _Wait… is this… Rushia_?" Subaru muttered mentally in shock. The girl, she presumed reached her neck, was most certainly younger than she was. Just how...

The girl looked around and then asked, "Where is Papa?"

**AN: Hello, readers. So... -laughter- surprise! We have Rushia!**

Rushia Uruha

Human Wizard

School of Necromancy

**A few changes though. One, instead of a master, she gets a stepfather instead. A whole lot more interesting than just simply a teacher-student relationship. Two, she is still in her old looks. I concocted this D &D x Hololive story before the debut of her new look. So, let's just say the more experience she masses, the more she changes. Eventually, she will have her new look. It will just take time.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we warp up their ruins encounter.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_By the gods above, I have never felt more tired out. I think my heart almost stopped when I saw Mama Mio bleeding out on the floor. After smashing skeletons and getting teleported back to the ruins, we handled the necromancer… I guess we should call him a lich now… and put him in the flask. Then, we find out he has a kid. She doesn't even look like him. And now, she's asking us about her 'papa'. Why? Now it feels weird to have him locked up in a flask. And I have so many questions. Where did he get this kid? When did he get her? How? This feels like a more conflicting investigation. I think this is the first time where things got more complicated… I don't know what to do._

* * *

"Erm, can you tell us your name?" asked Subaru as kindly as she could.

She tilted her head to one side and said, "My name is Rushia."

"And, can you tell us who is your papa?" she coaxed as she made slow steps towards her.

"Papa… is Papa," Rushia replied. Getting blank looks, "Ah, you don't understand. Papa told me about this before. Um… Papa is not my real papa. He found me when I was younger." Then, she took a careful look around and muttered, "Where are Papa's helpers?"

Everyone froze. Mel slowly got to her feet, looking quite worried.

"So, Rushia?" sounded the fighter. Getting the girl's attention, "You see, when we got here, we didn't see your 'papa' anywhere. The room was like this when we got here."

Rushia stared at her face for a moment. She could feel herself getting anxious the longer the girl stared at her.

"Your eyes are lying… iaculis."

She made a grabbing motion. A ghostly, skeletal hand appeared and grabbed the former guard's throat, eliciting choking sounds as she dropped her shield and grabbed her throat. Subaru fell on the floor, clawing her throat trying to get the ghost hand off. Choco got ready to fight. Mel got ready to, but more hesitantly and anxiously.

Mio held her hands out and shouted, "Wait! Please, don't!"

The red-eyed girl looked at the wolf lady and asked, "Why? Do you know where is my Papa?"

"Your papa is in here," the former said as she took the iron flask and held it up high, "Please, let my friend go and you can see your papa."

"Are you lying too?" the latter asked.

"No, I'm not lying. I swear on my goddess's name," promised Mio, "Just stop the spell and you can see your papa."

"It doesn't last long. It should go away soon."

As soon as the girl said that, true to her words, it disappeared. The fighter wheezed as she gathered herself. The wolf lady sighed and said, "Subaru, next time, don't lie. Especially not to a child."

"Sorry… I just… thought… I'm… sorry," she wheezed out her apology as she got to her feet, "I won't repeat that again."

"Papa."

Taking a deep breath, Mio unstoppered the flask. Sand began flowing out of it, as if being carried by the wind. It then reformed into the tiefling necromancer… or rather, now, the tiefling lich.

"Papa!" Rushia exclaimed as she ran and hugged it.

He stared at her for a moment and returned the hug, muttering, "I see." He looked over at the party. Then he looked down at his daughter. "I did it," he said to her, "I was able to ascend myself. If only the dimwits at the school could see me now... Rushia." He released his hug, "I cannot take care of you anymore. You have grown so much and now you must leave this place."

"But Papa, what about you?" asked his daughter as she stared up at him, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Oh… I'll be around," it told her as he loosened her hug and knelt down, "If you still feel lonely, go out and make some friends. If you need to learn more, take my book with you and learn." It then stood up and said, "Now, let me speak with them."

She nodded and he turned to face the party. "I found her as I left. Passed out by the roadside while the bodies of her dead family were strewn around their caravan," he explained, much to their horror, "I raised them and took her in under my wing. I maintained them while using them to take care of her. As she grew up, I taught her as much as she could handle and understand. I had planned to bring her to Rivirapolis and have her enroll at the wizard school. They provide room and board after all. Then, return here to finish the ritual."

"But where we came here, you thought that your 'minions' were not enough and tried to finish the ritual here and then," summarized Choco.

"A decision made in haste," affirmed the lich.

"I suppose that answers everything," muttered Mio, looking over the stepdaughter sadly. Turning back to the lich, she ordered, "Very well. Get back into the flask."

It stared at her for a moment before asking, "Will you take care of Rushia in my stead?"

"Everyone here will take care of her until she is able to do so herself," she promised, "I will make sure of it."

It made a sound that resembled a sigh and said, "Very well. Speak the word and I will willingly return."

She nodded and raised the flask, "Capture."

"Papa..."

"Things will be fine, Rushia. Just know that I indeed did care for you," it said as it swirled back into the flask.

Slowly, Subaru stumbled over to the teary-eyed girl, getting a warning look from the wolf lady. "Rushia, I'm sorry," she apologized, "I'm sorry for lying. I know it was wrong but I was afraid. I didn't want to lose my friends so… I'm sorry, Rushia."

She was taken aback when the girl suddenly hugged her. She could hear a muffled 'OK' from the girl and she smiled in relief. "Ok, let's get your things. Then, we can bring you out from here," she said as she returned the hug.

* * *

_Rushia didn't have that many things and we helped her as much as we could. In the process, we found some interesting items. With Mel attempting to understand her explanations, we were able to figure out what some of them did._

_The maroon and green cloak with the weird thorns at the tips? It could make you appear in another place. He used it to play games with her._

_The chunk of stone with the crystals sticking out of it and set in a metal base? She saw him use it to call an earth man to move the bookshelf. Mel thinks it was probably an earth elemental._

_The blank spellbook? She once spilled some water on it and when she tried to dry it, it wasn't even wet. Then, her stepfather put it on a higher shelf so that she couldn't touch it._

_There was also a crystal ball, a pouch of some powdered stuff, a ring with a shield on it, and a ring with a ram's head on it. We had no idea what they did. We probably need to find a more knowledgeable person about those._

_We took leave and went back the way we came. The porters seemed glad that we returned and were surprised to find another girl with us. I explained what happened as best I can. They agreed that taking in Rushia was the right thing to do. With Mel pretty much done here, we packed up and headed back to the capital._

* * *

"I think I figured out what this is," said Mel after staring at the book, holding up the pouch of powder. They had taken a break halfway to the journey to rest. The wizard had asked the young necromancer's permission to look at her father's spellbook.

"Hmm, what is it?" asked Subaru.

"Powdered diamond," explained the wizard to her surprised listeners, "An important reagent for casting Glyph of Warding. It's listed here."

"Hmm, any other notes? About the other things?" asked Choco.

"Umm, give me a moment," said the former as she scanned through the book. After turning a few pages, she spoke up, "Ah, here. The crystal ball is used with another spell here, Scrying. And the rings..." A few more pages and she shrugged, "Nothing else here… and I don't have any more pearls with me, so I can't help identify them."

"Strange, why would a necromancer bother with scrying?" asked the tiefling.

"I think… it's more to do with watching over someone than looking for something," reasoned Mio as she glanced over to the girl who was hugging the iron flask to her chest.

"I kind of wonder though… was it bandits that killed her family?" asked Subaru, "I wonder if there was any way to find out."

"Well, if we continued down the road we veered off from, we would come to a lakeside town," informed the tiefling, "We could ask around there."

"What's it like there?" asked the fighter, her interest piqued.

"The town is by a huge lake that is being fed by the nearby mountains. It's quite a pretty place," the former told her, "I would always make it a point to stop there as I would journey up the mountains to collect the freshest water. The nobles in the capital treat it as a novelty item. Maybe once this is over, we can go there and have a look around."

"Sounds great!" Subaru exclaimed happily.

* * *

They arrived back in the city at night time. After thanking the porters and paying them, they went to find a room to rent for the night. Mel paid for the rooms and breakfast tomorrow morning. Everyone was grateful for that and they settled in to sleep comfortably. Mel, Rushia, and Mio were in one while Choco and Subaru were in the other. When she woke up that morning, Subaru noticed Choco was all smiles. And when the party met up for breakfast a few minutes later, she noticed Mio look happier as well.

"Erm, why are both of you so happy today?" she asked, brimming with curiosity.

"My goddess spoke to me in my dreams," the wolf lady replied with a smile, "She praised me for finding a way to keep a family together and for removing an evil piece from the board at the same time. She also blessed me with more power."

"I had the same experience as well," added the tiefling, "Though it was more of 'thank you for helping the souls to pass on and removing undeath' kind of thing. Still, it feels nice to be appreciated for the good work you're doing."

"That's great!" the fighter exclaimed with a big grin on her face.

After breakfast, they told the innkeeper that they will be back later and left to find Okayu. Luck seemed to be with them today because they met her in the streets.

"Hello! Welcome back," she greeted them jovially. Then, catching sight of Rushia, she blinked and asked, "So, who's this?"

"Umm, we found her at the… ruins..." Subaru said hesitantly, feeling awkward at trying to explain. Thankfully, Mio found a way out of it.

"Ah, this is Rushia. We met her on the way here and we invited her to join us," informed the wolf lady with a smile.

"Oh, that's really nice of you," the cat girl said with a grin of her own, "Well, I'm glad you're back. We weren't able to get anything out of the goon so Korone offered to take a crack at Crack Tooth. She was able to… 'persuade' him to tell us everything. I guess he cracked under the pressure, eh?"

"I rather not hear your puns anymore," muttered Choco as four party members stared at the bounty hunter in annoyance. Rushia just blinked in confusion.

"Hi, hi, anyway, Korone and I captured the guy last night," the former continued as she waved an envelope in her hand, "Sneaky boy, but we got him in the end. I'm about to hand my report up to the head guard and get the reward. Since you three were essential in helping me, not to mention help me stay alive that night, I'd say you earned a cut."

"Considering a noble died, I don't doubt it," the tiefling commented, "Let's get this reward then."

* * *

"Oh, my goddess. That's a big reward," Choco exclaimed softly.

Everyone in the party save Rushia was amazed at the bag of gold in Subaru's hands. Okayu came out of the central guardhouse with two bags and handed one to them. Thanking her, they went back to the inn for lunch and after that, gathered in the room Mio and the wizards shared.

"You know, I don't think I've ever carried that much gold on me at any time," said Mel.

"Well, now that the investigation is over, I think it's time," stated Mio after her silence.

"Mio..." muttered Subaru, a little sad that she had to go.

"Don't worry, Subaru. I'm sure you'll be alright," consoled the wolf lady as she scooted over and gave her a side hug, "I still have an obligation to do, you know? Besides, I still need to take care of my inn."

"We've been through a lot," the latter continued to mutter.

"Yes, we have," agreed the former, "But I did tell you I'll be leaving… Tell you what, write a letter to your parents. I'll pass it on when I get there."

"...Thanks, Mama Mio," she said gratefully.

"Can you delay that?" interjected Mel, causing both to stare at her, "At least for an hour or two. I want to get this spell from Rushia's dad's book. Then, we can leave for Huan Tuo together."

"Of course," the cleric smiled warmly.

"Hmm, in that case, I'll take the stuff we found in the ruins and get them identified properly," offered Choco, "I know someone here who can do it for me at a discount."

"...I want to learn new spells too," said Rushia hesitantly.

"I can help," offered the archaeologist.

"Ok."

"Ah, I better get started on my letter then," declared Subaru.

"Oh, my. Everyone is energized now," muttered Mio in amusement as she covered her mouth with her hand, "I think I'm going to miss this."

**AN: Hello, readers. Well, we have some backstory for Rushia. We will be pursuing this line for a while, at the same time introducing a few more Hololive members too. Just in time too, as Mio and Mel are leaving the party. Regardless, the core of the party has been established. Subaru is the tank. Choco, the healer. Rushia... er, control I guess. Everyone has dps covered, so no worries.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we travel to Dusktown, the lakeside town by the mountains.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_I wrote a long letter, I think. I wrote down everything I've experienced so far and how I wanted to see more of the world before coming back. I also assured them of my safety and asked them not to worry too much. Father did say it was a parent's job to worry for their children._

_After two hours, Mel was done with her transcribing. Then, she and Mio left in the coach cab Mio hired. The plan was to get to Nikubasa and join a caravan heading to Huan Tuo. I went to see them off. Just before they left, Mio left the iron flask with me. Keeping it safe for Rushia, she said._

_Rushia, after Mel left, continued with her studies, only stopping for dinner. To be honest, she isn't… that bad. I just… she lived with that… lich… for a long while. Who knows what it taught her? I just hope he didn't teach her to do anything… bad._

_And then the loot we took from its place. A cloak of displacement. Just like Rushia described. A stone of controlling earth elementals. Also like Rushia described. An enduring spellbook. Rushia was right too. The rings? A ring of protection and a ring of the ram. The first ring, just as the name says. The second ring? It can make a ghost ram's head attack your enemies. It sounds awesome, but I think I should see it to believe it._

_We spent another night at the inn, with everyone moving into and sharing one room. Then, at breakfast, we decided to go to the lake town Choco talked about yesterday._

* * *

Subaru hired a driver to bring them to the town. Having that much gold made her feel like the party could get away with simple niceties like not having to walk too long a distance. Granted, it was… rather cheap. She never knew the prices as she always felt that horses were expensive. Hiring cart drivers seemed a way cheaper alternative… maybe except across the desert. A cart would probably get stuck in a desert.

She looked over to Rushia. Initially, she didn't want to get in the cart. Only after saying she could hold on to the flask was she willing to get in. The fighter didn't know what to do but she had to figure out how to wean the young necromancer off her dependency. Then again… that lich was the only parent figure she knew after her family died…

Subaru sighed. She didn't want to feel depressed this early in the day, but thinking about Rushia…

"Chin up, Subaru," said Choco as she looked up, "Look or you'll miss it."

And her eyes widened in wonder as the cart arrived at the top of the hill. The mountains were majestic. The lake was like a beautiful mirror, reflecting the surroundings to the sky. And the bustling town by the lake, looking quite peaceful.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the tiefling continued, "Dusktown, named after the Lake of Dusk, bordered by the Aporo Mountain Range."

"Yeah, it truly is," the fighter agreed in amazement. The party was suddenly jolted as the cart suddenly stopped.

"Woah, calm down boy," yelled the driver. Turning behind, he said, "There's something up front. It looks like a body or something."

"Don't worry. I'll check it out," replied Subaru immediately. She jumped out of the cart and ran to the front of the horses and stopped in surprise.

There was a body there. It looked human but the arms and legs looked like it was made of something else. She walked over to the body cautiously, kneeling down to touch the skin. Surprisingly, still warm. She quickly rolled the body over and called out, "Choco, I need help here!"

The tiefling jumped out and rushed over to check. It was a woman in shabby commoners clothes under leather armor. Her hair was as short as hers. She had an assortment of stuff on her belt; a small saw, a gouge, a knife, a pouch, a shovel, and an iron pot. A quiver of arrows was slung behind her.

"There is nothing wrong with her save for being exhausted," Choco informed her after checking, "She must have traveled far without rest. Just what was she thinking? Come, help me get her on the cart."

They picked her up with ease and brought her over, lying her flat on the floor of the cart. Then, they quickly got in themselves and asked the driver to continue on. On the way, the woman woke up.

"Hey, careful there," said Choco as she helped the woman to a seated position, "Welcome back to the land of the living. Do you remember your name?"

"...Roboco… I think," she muttered. She looked up at them and said, "I think my name is Roboco."

"Hi, my name is Oozora Subaru, family name Oozora," the fighter introduced herself. Motioning to the others, she continued, "This is Choco and this is Rushia."

"Uh, nice to meet you," she replied.

"Do you remember who did this to you?" asked the tiefling.

"I… don't remember," she admitted as she looked at her hands, "I woke up like this. The place was in ruins. I gathered up the more useful items that I think I can use and left."

"Ladies, we have arrived at Dusktown," announced the driver.

Subaru looked to the front. Compared to the majestic walls of the capital, the stone walls here were of a simpler build. Just as effective at keeping the wild animals at bay. She was anticipating a simpler town without much to worry about save maybe a bandit raid or two. She did not expect to find sick faces of the townspeople who were sitting outside their buildings.

"By the gods, what happened here?" muttered the driver.

"I haven't the faintest idea, but I must find out," muttered Choco as she glanced at the tiefling. The cleric was sporting a very worried look.

"Not to worry, sir," Subaru assured the driver, "We'll find out what's happening. But, best you go back to the capital just in case."

He nodded and quickly turned his cart and horse around, "saying, "I'll be back in a few days."

"Thank you, sir," the fighter replied gratefully.

"Strange… what happened?" questioned Roboco.

"Death is close," Rushia muttered ominously.

"Not if I can help it," retorted the tiefling.

The number of sickly people increased as they went further into the town. At the center of the town, they found a large crowd with a few people rushing around in attendance. Heading them was a blonde elf in a leaf green dress holding a wooden staff. She saw them and immediately came over.

"Hello, are you the help that the mayor sent for?" she asked.

"Help? Nobody sent us. We came here by ourselves," answered Subaru, the entire party confused.

"Oh, dear" gasped the lady, "But the mayor sent the messenger out yesterday. How strange."

"Can you please tell us what is going on?" asked Choco urgently, "Please, explain how there can be so many sick people here."

She sighed and explained, "I am Aki Rosenthal and I only arrived here this morning. The whole town seems to have come down with something and I have no inkling of where the source might be. I haven't gotten time to try and find it."

"Alright, tell us what to do," said the fighter as she dropped her backpack, "We'll help out until you and Choco can figure out."

"Thank you," she replied with a relieved smile.

So, the three of them went in, listening to the town apothecary on treatment attempts and keeping the sickly comfortable. Apparently, the more serious cases were placed in the center of town while the lesser cases stayed at their houses. However, if things didn't get better soon, the veil of sickness may radiate outwards.

The druid and the cleric disappeared into the town hall, most likely to cast a ritual to try and detect what was happening here. Several seconds later, they left the building and went towards the houses.

* * *

Choco and Aki went to the nearest house and asked permission to go in.

"What do you feel?" asked the tiefling anxiously.

"The family outside and… here," informed the elf as she strode through the living room and into the kitchen. A charcoal stove, food cupboard, and a huge pot of water along one wall. A small table and a few chairs on the other. She then pointed to the cupboard and the pot.

The cleric stepped forward. Touching the emblem on her shield briefly, she began chanting and circling her hand in a circle. Twice she did so, once on the cupboard and once on the jar. Once she was done, she stepped back and asked, "Cleansed?"

"Yes," the druid confirmed, "I cannot believe someone would poison the food and water of the town."

"It only means I have my work cut out for me," the former stated, "I'm glad though, the mountain spring water is untouched."

"Ah, was it you who had been helping the town collect it?" asked the latter.

"Yes," she affirmed. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Could you ask the mayor something for me? And depending on the answer, you can ask my friends for help."

* * *

Aki walked up to a rather sickly man and asked, "Mayor, please answer me this. Has there been any threats made against the town."

"OH, umm, I don't know what you're talking about," said the rotund, greying man. This drew the curiosity of Subaru and she stopped to listen.

"Please, mayor. Tell me the truth," pleaded the elf, "The town is in danger. If there is anything please say so now. Do you want your town to wither away like this?"

The man sighed and stayed silent for a moment. Then, he put forth a torrent of words, "Bandits supposedly captured my son and are holding him ransom in exchange for opening the city to them. I refused. Not long after, people in the town started falling sick. I cannot believe such misfortune befalling my family like this. I have led this town to prosperity for many years. To think it has come down to this..."

She put a hand to his head and declared, "It is hot. Such a temperature." Turning to the three, "Please, while your friend is administering treatment to the townspeople, we must figure out where these bandits are."

Subaru nodded and got the other two to come with her. As they went out of the city, the druid briefed them, "Someone has laced their food and drink with assassin's blood poison. And before that, his son was kidnapped. Bandits wanted to take over the town."

"Hn, any idea where they're hiding?" asked the fighter.

"I don't know… not yet," Aki said mysteriously.

They reached the edge of the forest posthaste. The druid took the lead as they walked into the forest in the forest. Suddenly, she motioned them to stop and knelt down beside a hole. She asked, " _Hello, there. Have you seen any bad men here?_ "

The party had no idea what she was saying, but the hare that suddenly popped out the hole did. She nodded and said, " _Thank you, my friend._ "

Standing up and turning to them, she told them, "We have to go further in. It is a sizable group. One interesting thing of note. There was one bandit with more finery than the rest."

"A prisoner?" asked Subaru.

"No, it seemed like the one in finery was being very friendly with them," replied the druid.

"That does not sound good," stated the latter with a grimace.

"Indeed."

* * *

The bandit encampment was a ramshackle thing. Tents and supply boxes littered the area unorganized. There were three lookouts while the others were either sleeping or playing cards at the only set of tables and chairs there. The party stayed at the outskirts, watching carefully.

"Is everyone ready?" asked Subaru. Getting nods, she continued, "Right. Officially, we have to take out these bandits to save the town. Unofficially, the mayor's son is suspect. We capture him and take out the rest. Roboco, make your shot."

The half-human nodded and lined up the arrow with one of the sentries. She let loose one and quickly nocked another and let that fly too. The first arrow got the sentry in the shoulder. Turning in surprise, he shouted for help before the second arrow buried itself in his neck. The gurgling body dropped like a sack of potatoes.

"Get up you dogs! We're under attack!"

Roboco took this chance to shoot two more arrows into one of the sleeping bandits. Aki started chanting, both hands raised and gesturing with her staff. Dark clouds began to gather and blot out the sun. Thunderous crackling rumbled in the sky. She threw her free hand down and pointed to the left flank, where two bandits were running, and a bolt of lightning struck the ground between them. Both smoking bodies fell over.

The half-human covered the right flank with two more shots, the bandits taking cover behind the trees. Subaru, who had been waiting for the right moment, rushed to a tree between two of the tents and cut off the bandits there. That helped immensely as another bolt of lightning struck that bottleneck and killed another bandit.

Meanwhile, after preparing herself, Rushia muttered 'nebula', stepped into a misty portal, and reappeared next to the two bandits that died to the first lightning bolt. Waving her arcane rod over the bodies, she called out to them. Slowly, they shambled to life and slowly picked themselves up. "Fandead, kill bandits," she ordered them. Groaning, they stumbled over to the nearest ones and attacked with their fists.

"Fight back, you fools!" yelled the bandit captain as he rushed over to his men and helped to take down the zombies.

It was to no avail. Between the lightning bolts Aki was calling down, Roboco's surprisingly accurate and deadly shots, and the second wave of two zombies that Rushia raised to sow even more chaos, they greatly reduced the number of the bandits fighting back. Thanks to the number of trees and to Subaru's quick thinking, none of the bandits ever came close to taking out the party.

"This is all your fault, you damn prick!" the captain yelled at a finely dressed bandit as he hacked down the last zombie, "I know this is your fault we got attacked like this." The zombie suddenly got up again and tried grabbing the captain's face.

"Yeah, well, screw you too," retorted the bandit, "We killed that messenger. There was no way they were getting help! I-argh!"

Subaru, who finished off another bandit, went through a tent and burst out. She slammed the pommel of her sword into the side of the bandit's head, knocking him out.

"Useless!" roared the captain as he finally cut down the zombie, and then yelled in pain as a floating skeleton hand grabbed his arm. His cries of pain got cut off when the fighter stepped in and buried her sword into his neck.

"Is that all of them?" she asked aloud as she turned around to face her party, pulling her sword out of his neck.

A bird flew down and landed on Aki's finger, which she held out beforehand. It chirped for a while then flew away. "One escaped," she informed them, "I wouldn't worry too much. The land will find a way to tame evildoers."

Subaru sighed with relief. "Alright, let's rest a bit and take a look around. Maybe we can find out what they were doing here or if they were involved with the poisonings."

"I think this is the leader's tent," stated Roboco, pointing at the tent that seemed larger than the rest.

"Ah, if we could find proof, it would be in there," mused the fighter. Slapping her fist into her palm, she ordered, "Alright. Roboco, find some rope to tie that guy up. Rushia… go rest in one of the tents. You must be tired. Aki, let's go and search that guy's tent."

"Ah," sounded out the young necromancer as she walked over to the tent surrounded by the most number of bodies and sat in it. The other three split up and did as was planned.

**AN: Hello, readers. Here we are at a new location, with new enemies and new friends.**

**This is Aki.**

Aki Rosenthal

Elf Druid

Circle of the Shepherd

**So, specifically picked Circle of the Shepherd so that she could summon her twin-pigtails. Seeing that they are portrayed as sentient, they should be summonable spirits unique to her. Hence the homebrew summon Twin Yellow Wisp where you gain advantage in Charisma checks and all Charisma-based skills.**

**And Roboco.**

Roboco

Human(Variant) Fighter

Archery fighting style with Sharpshooter Archetype

**So, being very good at shooters should translate this way. Also, variant human because of another homebrew feat, Prosthetics, where her limbs and some of her internal organs have been replaced with Warforged parts. This would represent her robot side. Also gave her proficiency with woodcarver's tools. She could use them to make the bunny ear bands she frequently wears.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we settle our little investigation with a little extra.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**

**Addendum: So, not only did I just found out recently that Aki is supposed to be a half-elf. A mix between an elf and a siren. But, in 5e, there is no siren as playable race or monster. So, I ran with what I had at the time and made her a Spring Eladrin. A native of the Feywild, a realm of beauty, unpredictable emotion, and boundless magic. Associated with the season of cheerfulness and celebration, marked by merriment as winter's sorrow passes. And based on the beautiful song she sang, I believe it fits her quite well.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_I have several questions. How did Aki do that? I never knew druids could control the weather! She just points and then BOOM! Where did Roboco learn to shoot like that? It was like everything she shot died. Or was it really learnt? Was it because of those arms? She still doesn't remember who she is. I want to help her. Maybe we can travel to that place she mentioned and search it top to bottom? I'm so glad they're on our side. It definitely made things easier._

* * *

The large tent flaps were pulled back and their noses were assailed by a horrid stench.

"Oh, my gods. Does this man not bathe?" complained Aki incredulously.

"To be fair, he's a bandit," muttered Subaru as she crinkled her nose, "I doubt bandits in general use water a lot."

"Urgh, and we need to search this," the elf muttered as she kicked away a pair of pants, "Absolutely horrible."

"Maybe stay away from the piles of clothes..." she continued as she trailed off. She carefully inched through the tent and neared a group of three barrels. It seemed to be a makeshift table, with a small wooden box that served as a chair. There seemed to be a book with some torn pages sticking out of it.

Meanwhile, the druid neared an open box set on another box. She peered inside it, hoping not to find more soiled clothes. Unfortunately, she did. But, she also noticed a bottle nestled under it. Grimacing, she used her wooden staff to hook the offending pieces of fabric and toss it to the center of the tent.

"This guy..." muttered the fighter as she pulled some of the pages. They looked like messages. She frowned as she read through them. Stashing them back in the book and taking the whole thing with her, she turned around to see the druid pick up a bottle with her staff. "Is that proof?"

Aki peered into the box and said, "Yes. Several bottles in here. It is possible they were used to store the poison. Give me a moment."

She set the bottle down and started chanting, using her staff in a strange way, like sprinkling something with a leaf. When she finished chanting, she looked at the bottle and then at the box. "I see," she muttered. Turning to Subaru, she replied, "It is confirmed. These are the bandits that poisoned the town."

"Alright, thank goodness we got them," the former guard stated as she headed outside, "Let's have a talk with our captive outside."

* * *

"Ugh..."

"He's awake," Aki announced.

"Alright," replied Subaru as she walked up behind her, "Allow me." The elf stepped aside and she stood in front of him.

"Let me go! I am Carel Hieroneous Milton Junior. I am the son of the mayor!" he shouted arrogantly.

She frowned and replied, "Oh? Alright, Mister Milton. Mind telling me what this is?" She waved that bit of torn paper in front of his paling face. Seeing his reaction, "I thought so." Turning to the others, she ordered, "Roboco, bring him. We have to show this to his father. Rushia, come on, let's go."

"What did you find?" asked Aki, following after her.

"He pretended to get kidnapped to get more coin," the fighter told her as they continued walking at a steady pace, "I didn't find anything about poison in the papers. The bandits must have had other plans for the town already in place when he asked them to join on his scheme."

"Ah, a spoiled brat," the elf summed up accurately. Then, she frowned, "I sure hope his father punishes him properly."

"I hope so too."

* * *

"I apologize for this stupid son of mine," stated the greying man.

When they reached the town, they were surprised when most of the townspeople had already recovered. They headed straight for the town center and they found a very tired Choco and a very grateful mayor. However, once he saw the evidence, he punched his son and ordered the guards to haul him away.

"You really don't need to say that to me," she replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Please, you are welcome to my home for the duration of your stay here," the man declared as he invited them over.

"...Alright?" she said, getting even more embarrassed as she was ushered along by the grateful townspeople. Everyone else with her also received the same treatment.

"It's really generous of them," commented Aki.

"Weird," said Rushia.

"Agreed," added Roboco.

Just enjoy it while you can," said Choco with a smirk, "These things are few and far between."

* * *

_While it felt weird, it was nice, I guess. There wasn't enough room in the mayor's house as expected. So, we got free rooms and meals at the inn instead. The beds were comfortable. At dinner, I asked Choco how she could treat the whole town. Then, she asked if I remembered what she mentioned doing at the town._

_Apparently, there was a shrine in the mountains where she would bring the water she collected. She would pray there and bless the water. In a way, this blessed water was invigorating for normal people. It would fill them with energy and lift their spirits. There were lots of bottles stored at the mayor's office building. I guess you can see where this is going. However, just as the prayers and blessings should be given to others and not the self, she shouldn't have taken the water for herself. It was only because she was drinking the water to help the town that she was only sapped of her strength. It didn't help that she was a tiefling as the blessed water really churled her stomach. I gave her a hug after that._

_After dinner, I returned to my room and looked through the book I took from the camp. The others returned to their rooms as well. I overheard Choco asking Rushia about attuning and stuff. After sitting on my bed, I opened the book. What I found out was… disheartening._

* * *

Subaru stared at the open page. It was a drawing of a woman holding a baby. The entry read 'Hana and Sakura'. A detailed entry on the next page was about how happy this person was to have become a father. The next page. A different date. A different drawing. The baby was now walking on two legs. The father was proud of his daughter. They were getting ready to start traveling again. The next page. The child... the child looked like a smaller, younger Rushia.

She felt something spike in her heart. She could feel her eyes tearing up but she held it down. She got off her bed and out of the room with the book. She knocked on the young necromancer's door and called out, "Rushia?" After a few seconds, she moved to knock again but it was opened.

The young girl looked at her with curiosity. She gently pushed the door open and hugged the girl tightly.

"Why?"

She pressed the book into her hands. "Here. I think… you need to read this."

Rushia tilted her head to the side, but accepted the book and closed the door. Her heart was beating fast. Anxious and worried. But, she had already given the book to her. All she could hope for was…

A scream pierced the air. She threw open the young lady's door and rushed in. She ran over and hugged the teary girl, the book on the floor in front of her.

"Papa… papa… mama..." the poor girl muttered incoherently.

"Shh, everything is going to be alright," said Subaru in an effort to coax her.

"What's going on here?" groaned Choco as she stood in the doorway, with Aki and Roboco staring in from the side.

The fighter nodded to the book on the floor. The tiefling walked in and picked up the book. Browsing through, she glanced over to the young necromancer and sighed before asking, "This… did you find this at the camp?" Getting another nod, she continued, "Well, she isn't going to be sleeping much tonight."

"Allow me," stated Aki as she came into the room and placed a hand on the fighter's shoulder. She picked up the freed girl and brought her over to her bed. After tucking in Rushia, she started humming a tune.

Quietly, everyone else left the room, moving back to their own rooms. Rushia needed some room to recover, after all.

* * *

"Are you okay, Rushia?" asked Subaru at breakfast. The girl just nodded, looking a little forlorn but otherwise alright.

"Ah, I want to look around town," said Aki with a smile, "I never did get a chance to do so yesterday."

"I think I want to as well," muttered Roboco.

"I can take you around," offered Choco. Turning back to the fighter, she asked, "Do you want to look around too?"

"I want to see Papa," the young necromancer suddenly said. While the half-human and the elf looked at her in confusion, the tiefling and the former guard glanced at each other warily.

"I suppose that answers my question," the cleric muttered, "Take care of her, Subaru."

"I will," she replied, "I will."

After breakfast was done, the three left the inn while she and Rushia went up to the girl's room. Securing the door, she reached for the flask and unstoppered it.

"Why am I being called now?" asked the lich. The fighter said nothing, but just passed the book to it. Intrigued, it skimmed through the pages.

"I see," it muttered as it turned to its stepdaughter, who had rushed over to hug its arm, "I see you've found your past, Rushia."

"My parents... they are not alive anymore?" she asked.

"No, not for a few years now," it told her with a grating chuckle, "I suppose you weren't listening that time… yes, your real parents have been dead for a while now. I presume that one found their killers." He looked over to Subaru, who nodded in response.

"A fitting end," it stated as it turned its gaze back onto its stepdaughter, "At the very least, you found closure, even as it probably wasn't needed. Rushia, I understand if you don't want to refer to me as your father anymore..."

"You are still my Papa," she muttered as she hugged even harder.

It stared at her for a moment before sighing, "You truly make this difficult… Very well, as you wish." Turning to the fighter, it asked, "Is this all?"

"Rushia, do you want your papa to help you with anything else?" she asked. The girl shook her head. She sighed and said, "This is starting to feel like the flask is for your protection than your containment."

"A strange idea."

"I know, right?" she agreed as she watched the girl set her spellbook and the enduring book on the table, which already had a bottle of ink and an ink pen, "It's a safer way to carry you around to keep her company. I get the feeling Mio would scold me if I don't try to keep you two together."

It's chuckle really irked her.

"Interesting."

"Alright, get back inside," she grumbled.

* * *

_After getting the lich back in the flask, I decided to ask Rushia about the attuning stuff I heard her talk with Choco about. Apparently, some items like those rings need to be in sync with their owners. It sounded weird but, if it works… but this ring I have? Does it mean I have to butt heads with something or someone? Sounds painful. Or maybe… something to do with fighting?_

_Maybe..._

_With that thought in mind, I spent some time practicing with my sword. It made me think back to the first time I got it. I really was new at that time. After going through thick and thin with this sword, I wouldn't trade it away for anything. I continued practicing until it was time for a quick wash and getting something to eat. I also had an inkling of what I wanted to do next._

* * *

Everyone reconvened for a late lunch. At the table, Subaru asked, "So… how about we help Roboco find out about her past?"

"Sounds interesting," commented Choco. Turning to the aforementioned girl, she asked, "So, have you recovered any memories so far?"

"I… I'm not sure," the girl admitted, "I think I lived here before… but nobody seems to know me. Maybe I'm from another town?"

"That's possible..." muttered the tiefling, then she poked the metal and wooden limbs, "Still doesn't explain what these are."

"They don't look like mine," Roboco stated as she stopped eating and stared at them, "Yet, I can feel everything with them. It is… still very strange."

"Maybe we can go back to where you woke up at," suggested the fighter, "With all of us helping, we may be able to find more clues."

"...Ok," accepted the archer with a smile, "Thank you."

They settled lunch and they informed the innkeeper that they would be leaving temporarily. After promising to return the next day, they left the inn and went out of town. On the way out, Choco pretty much got showered with thanks. A few kids even came up to her and presented her with some flowers, putting them in a good mood.

"I want to go to that camp," Rushia suddenly announced as they stepped into the woods.

"That camp? The bandit camp? Why…?" Subaru asked hesitantly, already guessing what she wanted to ask.

"We can get some help," she replied with a smile.

The fighter looked at the others. Roboco seemed indifferent. Aki and Choco looked conflicted. Considering what they do, she could understand. One was close to nature and one healed people for a living. They would be against this.

"I don't know, Rushia," she replied, "Raising people from the dead isn't right in general."

"Papa does it."

"I wouldn't exactly call your father an upstanding person..." she trailed off with a grimace.

"Please... they won't bother us," the young necromancer pleaded.

"Tch," she sounded as she considered their options. Glancing at the others again, she replied, "Fine. We can drop by that camp for a while. Just… tell your… tell them to keep out of sight."

"Thank you, Subaru."

She blinked. That was the first time Rushia called her by name. She made a sound and a grunt as she led the way towards the bandit camp, having mixed feelings about this. They had little problem reaching the camp. The party waited at the outskirts while the young necromancer went in. After spending some time, she returned. As they moved on, Subaru could notice the zombies following at a distance beside them.

She wondered if she made the right decision.

**AN: Hello, readers. Ha... bandits. Annoying buggers. Turns out the kidnapped son was in on it the whole time. Nicely wrapped up for the mayor this is. We also get some hints on Rushia's family. It was a tragedy, as explained earlier. After that, plans to help our dear robot friend Roboco. Or in this story, Prosthetic Hero: Roboco... wait, this isn't Hero Academia... Not to mention, Rushia is going to make new friends.**

**Now, one thing I realized is that I misread the entry for Animate Dead. Apparently I had forgotten it took much, much longer to reanimate stuff than just an action. But... it sounded cool to have her get some instant Fandead to help her in time of need. So, let's just say her lich Papa rubbed off a lot more on her than anyone realized. And she can do that type of instant Fandead for one battle once a year.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we settle our little investigation of Roboco's past. Somewhat.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_Knowing that there are zombies watching you… it's a creepy feeling… even if you also know they won't attack you. Even if they are maintaining their distance. Creepy._

_We had to stop to rest as the day had turned to night. Choco offered to take first watch. I took the second. Aki took the third and fourth. I was quite surprised when she said elves didn't need to sleep as long as we do. Roboco helped to hunt some game and we had rabbits for dinner._

_We continued the trek after breakfast. After Choco offered to fly ahead, we found an abandoned building thanks to her. As we neared it, Roboco confirmed that it was the building she woke up in. Time for an investigation._

* * *

"Ferro-Bo Core Research," muttered Subaru as she read the sign on the building.

Stepping into the rundown building, there was debris everywhere. Strangely enough, a table and a bookshelf survived, but it was blackened in some parts from fire. It was like there were multiple explosions or a fire happened. There were also several human-like things made of metal and wood.

"Where were you when you woke up?" asked Choco as she took in the place.

"In the basement," replied Roboco, "I think most of the damage is there."

"So… maybe upstairs is less damaged?" suggested Aki.

"Alright, let's go," urged the fighter.

Rushia followed after them silently.

Just as the elf suggested, the upper floor was less damaged. It was somewhat intact but weathered, as there were a few holes in the roof. A few more of those human-like things. A closer look showed that their limbs were similar to Roboco's arms and legs. It was cleared out hastily, as there were still a few pieces of paper strewn about, mostly on the three tables that were still standing. The half-human picked up a slightly burnt one and started reading.

"What a strange place," said Aki as she went around the furthest table.

"Yeah, this really is a strange place," agreed Choco as she checked the bookshelf in the corner.

"Warforged," muttered Roboco.

"What's a warforged?" asked Subaru as she went around the same table to look.

"Warforged, fully sentient amalgamations of metal and wood that can feel pain and emotion," read the archer aloud, "This should make it possible to replace missing limbs of other flesh and bone humanoids." She dropped the piece of paper and looked at her arms. "These belonged to another? How..." she trailed off.

Aki read another one, this time partially torn. "Entry 57. Subject 10 will be implanted with… this one was making abominations!" she stated in horror.

"What happened?" asked the fighter as she walked over and reached to take it to read for herself. Reading through it made her sick to her stomach.

"I guess it is safe to say that the whole thing backfired on the person running this," the tiefling said with a frown, "Good riddance then."

Meanwhile, Rushia was looking at one of the warforged. Its center had been gutted and it was missing an arm. Its other arm was still holding a longsword in its hand. There was something strange about it. She touched it's forehead and rubbed it. The head twitched. She froze. Slowly, she backed away from it. Suddenly, strange electrical and whirring sounds came from it and the other two bodies. The sound caught everyone's attention.

"What's that sound?" asked Subaru with concern.

"It's alive," said the young necromancer as the rusty warforged stood up and opened their eyes. They glowed red. "All alive!"

"Intruders. Butchers. Killers," they spoke as one, "You will not take from us anymore." Brandishing their weapons, they came after the party.

Roboco reacted first, shooting arrows at the nearest one as it took a step in their direction. Aki began summoning storm clouds and striking those on the same floor with lightning. Choco did the same, sending flashes of light to strike them. Unfortunately, since Rushia was the nearest to the butchered warforged, they targeted her first. She shouted in pain as she got slashed in the arm. She quickly grabbed the attacker with her shadow-wreathed hand while chanting and started draining him. The crossbow bolt that got buried in her thigh unfortunately disrupted it.

"Rushia, get behind me!" shouted Subaru as she ran around the table. As the living robot in front of her fell over, two arrows in its head, the young necromancer ran over to take shelter behind the fighter. Protected from the bolts being shot at her, she cast a protection spell as soon as she could pull out her arcane focus.

They could hear heavy footsteps coming up the stairs and more of the butchered warforged appeared. Some were missing arms, some had holes in their bodies and even a few had their entire body cavity dug out. Both armored and non-armored variants moved in on them. Choco moved to cover Roboco with her shield while Subaru immediately charged in as soon as another volley of bolts ended. Rushia, after Mage Armor, started manifesting ghostly skeletal hands and sent them after the living constructs, disrupting their aim and attacks. Once the numbers had lessened, the tiefling manifested a spiritual mace and joined in the melee.

It took a while, but they eventually whittled them down. The metal on the warforged had rusted through and the wood had rotted. They still had the skills they were programmed with while active. Subaru was glad that they weren't swarmed all at once.

"There is one more downstairs," Rushia suddenly said.

The fighter was a little surprised but then remembered that the girl had some zombies following them. The party rushed downstairs and found a single warforged, partially damaged by the wailing the zombies had done. Behind it was two broken bodies of the undead. It was quickly taken down by Subaru and Choco.

"Yosh, we did it!" the fighter said with a grin. Then, she toned down the happiness and said, "Alright, let's get back upstairs. We still need to try and find out what happened to Roboco."

Everyone went up to the upper floor again and resumed their search. They spent the time trying to sort through the pieces of remaining paper. Eventually, they ended up with a few scraps that after being pieced together, was some sort of message.

"Any idea on what this is saying?" asked Choco. It seemed to be random words. Aki and Roboco shook their heads.

"Hmm, I'm guessing names are torn off?" she mused as she tried moving the pieces around, "Something about a new subject being delivered?"

"Traded," Rushia suddenly said, "Contact… someone rich… new test subject... Female. Human. Short brown hair." She then pointed at the half-human… or half-warforged human and declared, "Talk about you."

Everyone fell silent. Then, Roboco left the table and walked downstairs.

"Are you sure about that?" questioned Choco with a frown, "There could be several others with the same looks and race."

"Made sense and it matched," she reasoned, "The warforged here are human-like. They would experiment with either human or half-human subjects to get best results."

"She will not be in a good place," commented Aki as she looked at the staircase.

"Let me try and talk to her," replied Subaru as she followed in the half-warforged steps. She went downstairs and found her sitting in the doorway leading outside. "It could have been anyone," she said as she leaned against the door.

"I know," Roboco admitted without looking at her, "But that only means that there are others that have been taken as well."

"Yeah," the fighter agreed and after some thought, she asked, "Are you satisfied with what you found out?"

"I guess?" she said as she tilted her head, "Ï still don't know who I am. I doubt that anyone who writes like that would make note of my name. I know now how I came to be like this… and I think that's okay. I protected people… I think. It might have been something I did before. With how good I can use this bow, I probably was an adventurer or at least know how to fight. And… I feel comfortable in Dusktown. I can't remember who I am… but I can still protect people."

"Hi, hi, I guess something good came out of this after all," the fighter said with a smile.

"I'm glad we can settle this," stated Choco as the rest came up behind her, "Let's leave. I rather not stay here any longer."

"Right, let's get back to Dusktown and relax until the cart gets here again," Subaru declared with a grin.

"You all go on ahead," Aki told them, "I wish to put this place to rest and make sure nobody ever finds this again."

"Ok, we'll see you in the town," said the fighter as she led the party away.

* * *

_We were welcomed warmly when we returned to the town that evening. It was actually nice, being greeted like a familiar face. It felt like home. We checked in and got our old rooms back, the innkeeper assuring we are always welcome at any time. The night went by without incident. The next morning we met up again at breakfast. Us including Aki. When I asked what happened when we left, she just said_ , "If anyone comes across that place, they will only see a copse of trees." _Did she do some druid magic while we were gone? I wish I could've seen it. It must've been amazing to watch!_

_With nothing else that was important, we took the day to relax. Choco took me around and showed me the place. Rushia shut herself in her room again. I guess she was back fiddling around those books. I wonder what she's doing with them? Copying? She only came down for lunch. She seemed a little happier. Then, to our surprise, the driver walked in. Well, I should have expected it. He did say he'd be back in a few days. I must've forgotten. Hi, hi_.

* * *

"Sure you don't want to follow us?" asked Subaru from the cart.

"I'm sure," replied Roboco with a smile, "I want to try and live my new life here. Aki will help me get settled before she continues her travels."

"Alright, since you're sure," the fighter returned with a grin. Settling into her seat and turning to the driver, "Alright, sir, we can go now."

"And we're off," the driver declared.

The journey was uneventful right up to the halfway mark. A lizardman, of all people, stood in front of the cart and started demanding everyone get off.

"What are you doing?" Subaru deadpanned. Her party against a single lizardman? Shouldn't be too hard but what in the world was this guy doing?

"You will all get off!" he demanded as he licked his sword., "I can easily kill your horses, so you will give me all your gold! My sword is coated in the greatest poison in the world!"

And then he keeled over and died.

Everyone in the cart just stared at the body. "Let's just keep going," the fighter finally said. They were in agreement and the driver steered the cart around it.

However, another mile down the road, they heard shouting and screaming. Two figures, both girls, burst out of the forest shouting for help. They jumped and clung on to the side of the cart and begged, "Help! Help us please!"

Then, a pack of wolves burst out of the forest. "Go!" shouted Subaru, not wanting to drag the driver into this. The man quickly whipped the reins and the horses bolted, both driven by the reins and fear of the wolves. The wolves then chased after them, nipping at the two people clinging to the cart. Choco helped her pull them up. Thankfully, the cart was able to outrun the wolves. It also helped that Rushia frightened off the wolves with a shower of harmless sparks.

"Ah… thank goodness," exclaimed the white-haired girl. She wore a purple dress with a short skirt that exposed her midriff and a purple pointed hat.

"If you didn't get us lost, we wouldn't have gone in that cave!" the purple-haired girl retorted angrily. She wore leather armor with a rapier hooked to her belt. She wore her hair in twin, spiral ponytails tied with blue ribbon. It made it look like there's an onion on her head.

"Why didn't you scout it then? You said you're a well-rounded and capable bodyguard. Were you lying to me?" the former mocked.

"I can't protect anything if idiots like you go into places where you're not supposed to!" shouted the latter.

They then butt heads and growled at each other.

"Erm... not to intrude... but what were you doing in the forest?" asked Subaru very hesitantly.

Pausing the fight and puffing up with pride, the one in the purple dress declared, "I am Shion Murasaki, the number one black magician from Sireos' School of Might and Magic."

"More like a cloistered scholar who was stuck in a library," sneered the other girl.

"Shut up! I am a certified sage of the school. You will respect it," the former retorted.

"I rather knock some sense into you."

"Don't make me smack your head with a fireball," the wizard raged.

"You want to punish me? Catch me first and I'd gladly let you," the latter replied as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Can you please let her answer the question, miss..." replete Subaru.

"Aqua Minato, sailor, bodyguard, fighter and thief, whatever you want me to do, I can do it," the girl boasted as she thumbed at herself.

"And you were in the forest because..."

"We are hunting a necromancer," the wizard declared, "We shall find him and bring him to justice!"

"Yeah, we hoped after either capturing or killing him we could be famous," continued the rogue with an eager grin, "Dynamic duo defeats evil necromancer and saves the capital. Who could refute that?"

"Oh, a necromancer? We already took care of him," said Choco, "He was a tiefling, right?"

"You… defeated… him… already..." muttered Shion in a depressed tone.

"Gods damn it!" yelled Aqua in frustration before turning to her adventuring companion and pointing at her, "This is your fault!"

"My fault!? What happened to the master investigator, hmm!?" retorted the wizard, "Shouldn't you have found out?"

"Everyone I talked to never said anything of the sort!" rebutted the rogue, "Maybe if you could actually get a better map, we could get to his base first. This is most definitely your fault!"

"I've had enough! I'll end you!" she shrieked as she took out her wand. The latter reached for her rapier.

"Hey, wait!" protested Subaru, "Please don't start a fight on the cart."

Suddenly a sickly green beam hit the wizard in the stomach. She blinked, then proceeded to bend over the railing and throw up. Everyone turned to the one holding the arcane rod.

"Noisy," said Rushia. All was quiet for the rest of the way, save for Shion's vomiting.

* * *

"You are evil," muttered Shion as she clutched her stomach.

After paying the driver, they gathered outside the stables. Rushia didn't reply, but Subaru asked, "So, what are you going to do next?"

"Find out some other grand quest? I dunno," admitted Aqua, "Maybe go north and find out if anything needs doing."

"Urgh, yeah," the wizard agreed.

"Good luck, and maybe we might meet again," the fighter said with a grin.

"Thanks," said the rogue as she dragged the sickly wizard along and disappeared around the corner.

Turning to her party mates, she said, "Alright, let's head to an inn. I'm starving."

**AN: Hello, readers. Warforged... Warforged everywhere... not really. However, our experimenters had perished and our robot girl has lost her memory. Yup, Subaru is helping to bring closure and opening a new chapter in both Roboco's and Rushia's life.**

**-clap-**

**Now, our intrepid heroes journey back to the capital, they pick up a few rowdy people. Yes, the first scene is the both of them arguing their heads off. Not surprising considering the Neighbour Wars.**

**Up first is Shion.**

Shion Murasaki

Human Wizard

School of Evocation

**Now, at first, I wanted her as an abjuration wizard. But, after considering she calls herself a black magician, and that black magicians are supposed to have lots of high damage spells, I switched to Evocation instead. We get a little backstory in this here chapter. Enough to go around, I think.**

**Next is Aqua.**

Aqua Minato

Human Rogue/Fighter multiclass

Thief/Mariner Fighting Style

**So, in keeping with her sailor theme. Her Background is Sailor. Her fighting style is thus. And for once, the little onion is actually good in what she does, unlike the other girl with her namesake.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we have some downtime before a new quest. A new quest AND another new character. Guess who?** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

_I am Oozora Subaru and I am taking a break from adventuring. Ever since I left Isshoudai, it felt like something was always happening or someone was always attacking us or we were attacking them. Today was a day of rest. A day to do ordinary stuff. Unfortunately, I am left alone again. Rushia closed herself in her room again. Choco went visiting the poorer areas offering healing again. After some thought, I decided to improve my languages. Most of the foreign-sounding words I only overheard other adventurers using. I don't really know how to use those words myself. So, I tried looking for someone who could guide or even teach me. It was during the search that I met up with those two again._

* * *

"Ah, we meet again," Shion said haughtily, only to be embarrassed by a growl.

"Heh, and who's arrogant again?" teased Aqua, who also had her stomach growl as well.

"Eh… Ok... so, how is the search for a quest?" asked Subaru.

"Well… umm… as you… heard just now… not too good… but..." the wizard said hesitantly.

"There's been talk of a half-oni girl looking for people to help her. If we can find her, we can offer our services," explained the rogue.

"Sound like you got it handled," replied the fighter, "I guess I have to continue my own search."

"What are you looking for? Maybe I can help you find it," offered the former.

"Well, I want to try and be fluent in another language, so I'm..." started the latter.

"Say no more, I can help with that," said Aqua with a grin.

"Eh?"

"Sometimes, some safes and treasure rooms are sealed in another language. So, you have to know other languages to get around it," the rogue said eagerly, "Miss Black Magician here can look for the half-oni on her own."

"If you're sure..."

"Hey, what makes you think I can find her by myself?" protested Shion.

Aqua quickly ran off, dragging Subaru behind her, who could only shout out the inn name before going around the corner.

"Hey!"

* * *

"You know, elvish is a beautiful language," commented Subaru after finishing her session.

"It is, although sometimes it sounds like they just string words together that make very little meaning when translated," muttered Aqua in annoyance as she balanced her head on the table with her chin, "Not to mention the flowery language is just the longer version of the short words. That is really annoying."

Suddenly, a sheathed longsword was slammed on the table. They looked up and found Shion standing next to a half-oni warrior. If she didn't have those white horns on her forehead, she would look like an albino human. "Are you the one who will be helping them?" she asked sternly.

"Well, first off, I'm Oozora Subaru, family name Oozora… and yes, I'm interested in helping," the fighter stated, "There are two other people with me and I do think they'd want to help too. Can you tell me what you need help with?"

Taking a breath, both of them sat down at the table and the half-oni proceeded to explain as she put her sword away, "My name is Ayame Nakiri. I used to be part of a mercenary group. I was a leader in one of their squads. Unfortunately, after a failed mission against some hobgoblin raiders, I lost my swords. I resigned from my post and am now trying to regain my swords and my honor."

"The swords are precious to you," the latter mused.

"Yes, the swords are made by my clan." confirmed the former, "Losing them is a stain I wish to erase. If you will lend me your aid, then I will forever be in your debt. If you wish monetary values, then whatever spoils the raiders own are yours. I just want the swords."

"Well… I guess when you put it that way, of course we'll help," she said with a grin, "Any idea where we can look?"

"I have been attempting to track down the raiders I fought. I suspect they found my swords and have taken possession of them," the half-oni stated as she pulled out a map and unfurled it on the table, "Raiders are common in the plains north of here. The group I clashed with had two ogres with them. My squad didn't know beforehand so we lost quite a few people before we escaped with our lives... I regret being unprepared like that… I came back here to look for help."

"Keep it together, Ayame," Shion told her bluntly.

"Alright, I am," assured the half-oni, continuing with, "Ok, so, they have an encampment at the base of the mountain range, so we have a long journey ahead of us. If possible, Aqua can scout out the place before we attack. If the ogres are there, Shion and your spellcasting friend she told me about will be helpful in taking them out."

"Sounds good," replied the fighter, "Since you already planned it out, when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning, after breakfast. We meet at the northern gate stables."

* * *

_Ayame hired a cart to a village in the north. It was about the same distance as from the capital to the lake town, so we didn't need to take such a long time to reach there, barring anything stopping us. Thankfully there wasn't, but at the village, we had to walk from there onward as the next one was miles away. We still had enough food but I still bought a bundle of kindling just in case we didn't find any to build a proper fire._

_We walked on through the open plains until twilight. Thankfully, we were able to break off some sticks from a large bush and were able to make a fire. Then, we realized half of us didn't have bedrolls and we ended up sharing after deciding who took watch. Thankfully, nothing happened and we continued our journey in the morning. Only it wasn't a peaceful morning…_

* * *

"Do you feel anything shaking?" asked Ayame suddenly.

"Really? I thought I was imagining it," added Shion.

"What are you talking about?" asked Subaru, feeling quite confused, "Everyone else didn't notice anything."

"The shaking is minute, but it is there," warned the half-oni as she dropped her pack and drew her swords. Everyone paid heed to her words and did the same. Weapons and arcane foci were pulled out. And then, they waited for a moment.

"Doesn't seem like..." started Subaru but without warning, the ground seemed to explode and three ankhegs appeared around them.

With a great roar, Ayame charged toward the nearest one and started slashing. Rushia helped her, firing a sickly green beam at the large creature. Choco sent a bolt of light at the one near her and then moved in to stop it from getting near the young necromancer. Subaru attacked the third one, slashing deeply on its abdomen. The three monsters roared and sprayed a sticky green liquid at the party. Everyone except Rushia got hit as the tiefling took on the entire gush and helped her avoid it.

"Urgh," shouted Shion in revulsion. With a gesture of her wand and chanting words of power, she hurled rays of fire, scorching and cutting through the ankheg in front of the fighter.

The remaining ones roared. The one with Ayame lunged and clamped its large jaws around her waist, the jagged mandibles cutting into the armor. This did not slow down her attacks; if anything, it made her angrier. While the others took on the other one, a second barrage of fire finished off the one holding on the half-oni, who landed on her feet after getting released from its grip. With that, they easily finished off the remaining ankheg.

"Urgh, what in the world is this goop?" asked Subaru with disgust, "I feel like vomiting."

"Acid from its stomach," stated Ayame, much to the former's horror, "We better wash this off."

"I can see a watering hole up ahead," said Choco while pointing in its direction, "We can rest there."

With everyone in agreement, they hurried over there immediately. True enough, it was a sizable flat lake. First, they refilled their waterskins. Then, they took their time to wash their clothes, their armor, and themselves.

"Ayame, how much further to those raiders?" asked the fighter.

"We should reach there tomorrow if we keep the pace," she informed them, "Also, if I remember correctly, there is a village nearby where we can resupply."

"Gladly. Maybe we can rest there for the night," muttered the black magician.

"We'll see," muttered the half-oni.

After drying out their equipment, they walked in the direction of the village. However, when they reached there, they were horrified to find the place mostly burned to the ground. This enraged Ayame.

"Those bastards!" she roared.

"How… how long ago was this?" asked Choco with concern.

"...based on the burns… a few days ago," deduced Shion uncomfortably.

"I am going to kill them all," growled the half-oni. Turning to the others, she ordered, "We move. Now. We need to hurry and get them before they do this again."

"And I suggest you calm down," countered Subaru with a frown, "I am feeling angry about this too. We all are. But rushing over there without rest is going to get us killed."

"And who are you to order me around!?" the former roared, her eyes seemingly lit on fire, "I am the squad leader here!"

"You are not a mercenary anymore!" the latter shouted back, staring her down, "We just came out of a fight. We need time to recover. You have to calm down."

Ayame continued growling until she finally muttered, "...Fine..." She then marched off a distance away from the village and sat down.

Subaru sighed and looked over the ghost town of a village. Rushia then tugged her arm and asked, "Can I make friends, Subaru?"

She sighed again and thought about it. They might be outnumbered if what the half-oni says is true. Considering the size of the village that was razed, it was highly likely. "Sure, you can," she finally replied, "Just remember what I said last time about your friends, alright?" The girl nodded and went to search.

Turning to the others, she said, "Ok, let's clear out. We still have a way to go before we camp."

"Still letting Rushia 'make new friends'?" asked Choco discreetly as they made their way to the half-oni's sitting spot.

"I… am just concerned about being outnumbered," she admitted anxiously, "Seeing the village absolutely empty… I'm worried."

"I can understand that," the tiefling replied, "I still disagree with it. But, you seem to be growing into the leadership role and it seems the young lady there looks up to you. You walk a fine line, Subaru. I do worry sometimes."

"I'll do my best."

* * *

It was Subaru's turn to take watch. She kept her eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. She was glad that it was a cloudless night and the light of the moon was strong. Suddenly, she noticed a bright glow coming from the razed village. She gripped the pommel of her sword tightly. Then, she noticed Rushia getting up, rubbing the sand in her eyes. At the same time, a few figures floated over to them. Her breath hitched; it looked like the spirits of the dead. Keeping her eye on the waking girl, she slowly crept over to Choco. Before she could wake the tiefling, she froze when she saw Russia getting up and walking towards the ghosts.

"Rushia, what are you doing?" she whispered quietly, but her words were ignored.

"You are in pain," stated the young necromancer as she neared the ghosts.

She couldn't hear the ghost's haunting reply, be she heard Rushia reply, "We are going after them. I made some friends to help us. We can get justice for you."

The ghost replied again and the group floated back to the village. Subaru let her breath out, relieved that they avoided this fight.

The young lady came up to her and said, "Good night, Subaru." She then went back to sleep.

* * *

"That's what happened last night?" muttered Choco as she rolled up the bedroll, and then she sighed, "I guess we should be lucky."

"She even brushed it off like it was normal," Subaru replied as she tightened the straps on her pack, glancing down at the iron flask, "Did she interact with ghosts before? What in the world did it expose her to?"

"I think it's too late to talk about this now," said the tiefling as she watched the others tidy up after themselves, "I just pray that we are able to guide her away from this."

"Same," the fighter muttered as she stretched, "Let's get a move on then. We still have half a day to reach the mountains."

True to her words, they did indeed take half a day to reach the mountains. Then, Ayame guided them to where she believed was the raider encampment. It was in a cul-de-sac carved out in the mountain outwardly bordered with wooden palisades. They took cover half a mile away behind an outcropping and began to set plans in motion.

"Ok, you're up Aqua," said Ayame, suddenly taking charge again, "Scout out the place."

Subaru didn't mind. It was her plan after all. The rogue grinned and winked, then slipped off to do her thing.

"I hope she does this well," muttered Shion.

"Isn't she a master thief?" asked Subaru in confusion.

"I doubt it," muttered the black magician haughtily, "You saw how she did in yesterday's fight. Hardly hit a thing at all. I did all the work."

"Rushia, where did you put your friends?" whispered the fighter as she turned to the young lady.

"The other side of here," replied the young necromancer softly.

Then, they heard loud thundering sounds. The half oni cursed under her breath and said, "Either a raiding party or a scouting party has returned."

"Will Aqua be alright?" asked Choco.

"She'd better be," muttered Shion.

The group waited anxiously for the return of the rogue. Eventually, she did. But, she was running while taking furtive glances behind her. "Oh my gods, I do not want to go there again," she exclaimed while out of breath.

"What happened?" asked Subaru, wondering what spooked her so much.

After catching her breath, she explained what she saw. After getting over the wall, she was almost caught. If there wasn't much security, there would be now after she killed a goblin after being spotted. No doubt they would find the body. There are quite a number of hobgoblins there, even more so after their scouting party returned. They will probably be raiding another village tomorrow. Whatever goblins that are there, the numbers are less than the hobgoblins. The raiders are being supported by a hobgoblin spellcaster. The captain's and the mage's tents are in the middle of the camp. The two ogres are being housed at the back of the camp.

"That's a lot of raiders," commented the fighter, "Maybe we can figure out a way to thin down their numbers?"

"If you can find a way to let me cast my spells into their camp, we can," stated Shion.

"Maybe we can…" muttered Ayame before turning to Aqua, "Did you notice any ridges or outcroppings overlooking the camp?"

"I think there is? I didn't really notice," admitted the rogue.

"Tch, so much for that..."

"How about I scout the area around the camp?" offered Choco.

"If you think you can, go for it," said the half-oni, "I can take anything I can get at this point. If there isn't any, we have to go in through the front gate."

"Actually… we might not have to..." spoke up Subaru as she considered everyone's capabilities, "We could make them come to us."

"How would we do that?" asked the former.

"Well, let's do it like this..."

**AN: Hello, readers. This is our new quest. An escort plus retrieval mission. And the addition today is... Ayame Nakiri.**

Ayame Nakiri

Half-Oni Fighter

Two-Weapon Fighter Samurai

**So, let's have a Nakiri clan of oni and half-oni why don't I? Not to mention Dual Wield to use both katanas at the same time. It helps that half-oni are supernaturally strong. Half-oni might be homebrew but damn if it doesn't fit well.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we have good ol' explosive showdown.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

_I have a plan. These raiders won't know what hit them. Choco will fly up and carry Shion, who will try and toss fireballs into the camp. Hopefully they will hit the tents and take out most of the hobgoblins and maybe the caster as well. Rushia can have her 'friends' stop them from leaving… although I doubt it? Then, we can mop up the rest. Ayame looked quite pleased with it. I just hope it all goes according to plan..._

* * *

"Ready?" asked Subaru as she glanced behind. Daylight had fled. Thankfully, it was a cloudless night again and the moon was still strong in the sky.

Choco and Shion gave her a thumbs up.

"Rushia?"

The young necromancer nodded.

"Alright, once the gates open, we advance slowly. Nobody left behind," ordered the fighter as she got herself focussed on the upcoming fight. After taking a deep breath, she said, "Okay, let's start this."

The cleric stretched her wings and picked up the black magician by the waist, making sure to not interrupt the chanting. A small pinprick of light formed in front of them the moment they reached the cleric's maximum height. Shion then pointed at the camp and launched the fireball. The further it went, the bigger the ball got. It sailed over the gate and exploded with a great roar as it collided with the first thing that got in the way. As Choco landed, the camp was in a huge uproar.

The camp gates were thrown open and several hobgoblins with a few goblins ran out and looked around for attackers. Shouts of 'There!' were heard when a few of them caught sight of them and started shooting arrows at the party. The moment that happened, Aqua and Ayame raced ahead along the left side, where some of the arrows can't reach.

"Move!" yelled Subaru, prompting Rushia and Choco to follow.

Shion stood still for a moment, repeating her chant from earlier and pointed directly at the gates. The entrance exploded and the goblins that were ordered in front were roasted alive. The skeletons that were waiting on the side then ran inside and attacked the survivors of the fireball. The arrows stopped coming at that moment. Things started to look up and they could probably rush in behind them.

Suddenly, a fireball flew from behind the survivors and landed in the middle of the trio, Knocking of their feet. Subaru could feel the heat burning and searing her unarmored parts. Luckily, they were able to throw themselves aside and avoid most of the blast. A roar later and the hobgoblin captain charged past the skeletons on horseback with a flaming katana.

"You dare! Fight me, you honorless cretin!" yelled Ayame angrily as she pointed at him.

"You! The coward returns?" taunted the captain in return, "I will enjoy flaying you alive!" He charged straight at her, jumping off his steed and clashing swords with her. Aqua decided to take this chance to stab his back.

"Argh!" he roared in pain, "Kill them all!"

Five more hobgoblins rode out on horses, splitting apart to reinforce the survivors, aid their leader and also head straight for Subaru and her two friends. They slowed down and started hacking down with their longswords. At the same time, Shion sent another fireball at the gates, killing off the survivors. Then, she started running to the right side. Choco summoned a spirit weapon to her side and took the fight to the horsemen with Subaru, all the while keeping them from attacking Rushia. Thanks to that, the young necromancer helped to kill one of the horsemen.

"Smash! Smash!"

More loud roars came from the camp and two large ogres walked through the burning gates. Subaru grimaced as they did. Then, the rider in front of her convulsed and fell off his horse, his entire body smoking. She looked over to the side and grinned; Shion gave her a thumbs up. Then, she looked up and shouted, "The spellcaster!"

The fighter turned to look and sure enough, the hobgoblin mage was walking on air, his grinning face snarling eagerly.

Another loud roar brought her focus back to the gate. She noticed Ayame beheading the captain as the one ogre walked off in her direction while the other loomed over her. The riderless horses had already galloped away from the charging monster.

"Smash! You!" it yelled as she jumped out of the way of its large, spiked club. She stabbed its free hand in return and ran her blade down its palm, cutting deep and drawing blood. It roared in pain.

However, the ground exploded from under here. The damned mage cast another fireball in their midst and she landed on her back. She started up, the ogre rearing back to slam the greatclub on the ground. She rolled out of the way just in time and she jabbed its leg muscle and tore her longsword out, cutting through it. Ducking under another swing, she landed two slashes on its bare gut. Without warning, Rushia suddenly ran up beside her and tried to touch it with a shadow-wreathed hand.

"Wait! Don't-"

The young lady missed, as the ogre swung at the same time; it stumbled a little from all its wounds and the greatclub slammed into Rushia's side

"RUSHIA!"

With a great cry, Subaru ran and thrust her sword forward into its chest, the blade going straight through the heart. As the large monster toppled over backward, she rushed to the girl's crumpled body.

"Rushia-!" she started but right before her very eyes, the young lady slowly got up by herself. A beam of light seemed to be shining on her and the fighter too. She looked up and stared. Subaru turned around and saw the same light over Choco. She looked to be standing very still, clutching the emblem on her shield. She seemed to be praying while the spirit weapon she summoned blocked all the strikes the mounted hobgoblin sent her way.

She felt relieved. The tiefling made a miracle happen. "Let's help her, Rushia," she declared. The young necromancer nodded and both of them rushed over to help her.

Rushia grabbed his leg with a shadow-wreathed hand, taking his life force. Subaru attacked at the same time and he had to fend her off. Choco's spirit weapon found his face and ended his life.

The fighter let out a breath of relief. She looked around. Ayame and Aqua had finished off the other ogre and mopped up the rest on their side. Shion had triumphed over the hobgoblin spellcaster in their own fight. It was a hard-fought victory but they did it.

Ayame went over the captain's cooling corpse and wrenched her sword from its grasp. It lit up the moment she touched it. She grinned as she faced them, "We did it." She turned around and proceeded to undo the sheath from his belt. "Help me look around. See if he has my other sword," she asked.

"I think we should sleep right now," groaned Aqua, "We're fresh off a victory and I'm pretty sure those fireballs blew up everyone in the camp. We sleep this off and go searching in the morning. It's not like your sword can grow legs and walk."

"I suppose," the half-oni grumbled as she sheathed the sword and strapped it to her belt.

"We get our backpacks. Then, we sleep," said Choco as she headed off to where they stashed their stuff.

"Let's get to it then. I really want to sleep," muttered Shion as she trudged on after her.

* * *

_The fireballs helped quite a bit. My heart almost stopped though, when Rushia got hit like that. Have I grown attached to her? Maybe I have? It's like… she's become the little sister of the group. I've never felt so relieved when all that healing rained on us. I'm just glad that the battle was over then. But, no doubt, I will have to go through much more of that later on. I'll have to try and get her to stop using that spell. It's too dangerous._

_I'm just glad nothing else happened during the night. I think I wasn't even into keeping watch. But I kept my nerve and swapped out with Ayame and had a good rest. Still, a new day also brought new Ayame problems._

* * *

"Argh! It's not here!" yelled Ayame in frustration.

After breakfast, they spent the morning searching the place. No second sword. With all their help, they searched all the tents. Or what was left of the tents. The fireballs were a little too good. Still, sifting through the ashes did not turn up any sword. They did find one thing though, when they searched the other bodies. A strange wand the mage was clutching in his hands. A simple piece of gnarled wood that had a small ruby at the tip. That one Shion claimed for herself as she was the one that ultimately killed him. Other than that, nothing of note.

"Maybe they traded it away?" suggested Subaru.

"And who would they trade it with? And what for? They are raiders, not merchants," rebutted the half-oni.

"Doesn't matter what they are. The sword is not here," added Aqua.

"Look, maybe we go back to the village, the one still standing mind you, and try and get more information there," the fighter proposed, "That would be better than searching this place multiple times and not finding anything."

The half-oni sighed in frustration and replied, "Fine. We better round up the surviving horses. This should help us get back faster."

The rest nodded and tried to coax the horses. It took time but they were able to get the horses to listen. Surprisingly, Ayame had a hand in helping everyone else calm down the horses. After that, she led the rest in the direction of the village. One person per horse, except Rushia who shared a horse with Subaru. They covered quite the distance, going past the burned down village and the watering hole. However, they stopped at the area where they encountered the ankhegs as they came across a group of centaurs cutting up the ankheg bodies.

"Hail, are you the ones that killed these beasts?" called out their leader in what Subaru remembered was elvish.

"What are they saying?" asked the half-oni.

"Elvish. Subaru, time to see if your understanding can hold up. Try it," called out Aqua.

"Er, yes, we are," replied the fighter hesitantly.

"I see. An impressive accomplishment," he praised as he continued to observe his men.

"What do you do with them?" she asked.

"We make armor from the shells and various other things from other parts," was the explanation.

"Ooh, can we get some?" she asked further.

He looked sternly at her, "They are for the tribe. Not for outsiders."

"Ah… but can we trade for some?" she asked further.

He thought about it for a moment and replied, "That would be acceptable. What do you have for trade?"

They looked at each other and eventually, she said, "We don't have anything just yet..."

"I see."

"Oozora, ask them this. Since you find trading acceptable, have you ever traded with raiders before?" asked Ayame suddenly, "Have you traded with a group of hobgoblins before?"

"We have traded food for weapons before. Why do you ask?" was the reply after translation, with help from the rogue.

"Did they trade a sword with you? A katana like this?" she pressed on, showing her own.

"Yes, they have. What are you trying to say, half-oni?" asked the centaur warleader.

"That is mine. They stole it from me," she declared, her face angry but still keeping her temper in check in her words, "I respectfully request its return."

"Hmm," he sounded in thought, "And why should we? Such weapons will benefit my tribe. What do you have to offer in return?"

She grit her teeth, her frustration showing. Subaru hoped she wouldn't do anything that will make him angry. They had been civil so far. The half-oni dismounted her horse and to everyone's surprise, she knelt down and bowed. "Please, as a warrior of the Nakiri clan, I appeal to you, o leader of centaurs. Aid me in returning my blade and help me regain my honor."

Aqua and Subaru translated this to him. "I cannot return to you the blade, not without recompense," the leader finally said after getting over his surprise, "However, I shall consult the elders of my tribe. All willing, we may have an alternative answer for your request."

"It is all I ask," stated Ayame as she got up from her pose, her face taking on a stern look.

The leader harrumphed and continued, "Then, I shall meet you at the village south of here at tomorrow's morn and give my tribe's answer. Go now in peace."

After more translations, she bowed respectfully, mounted her horse, and led the party away.

"For a moment, I thought you were going to draw us into a fight," said Subaru after putting some distance between them and the centaurs.

"I just appealed to his reason and honor, nothing more," reasoned the half-oni. Then, she smiled, "I'm finally getting my swords back. Tomorrow will be a good day."

They continued on their way, the horses shortening their travel time greatly. They arrived at the village late in the night and checked into the local inn. Ayame paid for the rooms and they all went straight to bed after a simple dinner. They will have a long day tomorrow.

* * *

After a simple breakfast, they waited outside the village for the centaur warleader. After a while, he did appear. He was accompanied by a more armored centaur and an older centaur.

"Hail, I bring the council's decision," he announced as the two groups met, "Though the blade belonged to you, it came to us by fair trade. If you insist on its return, you must prove yourself to us. Defeat our chosen champion and we will return it to you."

After getting all that translated by Subaru and Aqua, Ayame nodded and said, "I accept."

Both continued to serve as translators as the older centaur drew a large area in the dirt. The half-oni went up to the fighter and passed her family sword over to her, "Take care of this for me. I shall win my sword back with my own hands." With that said, she moved to take her place, opposite the armored centaur.

"Are the fighters ready?" called out the older centaur. Getting nods from both fighters, she declared, "Begin!"

The centaur began by charging down at her. Ayame kept her nerve, a firm grip on her swords. She hopped to the side just as the centaur leaped and thrust his pike forward, missing her entirely. Lunging forward, she carved up his front leg and stabbed his horse side, leaving two large gashes and a deep hole. He grunted in pain, turning to his side and thrust his sword at her, slicing past her studded leather into her stomach. He pulled his weapon out and pivoted around, kicking her in the chest with his back legs. Blood sprayed out of her mouth as she staggered back.

"Ayame!" shouted Subaru with concern.

The half-oni roared as she swung back, the first totally going wide, but the return swing leaving a deep gash in the centaur's flank. Her shortsword bounced off his side armor as he shifted around to stab her with his pike. Apparently disoriented due to blood loss, he missed, the blade getting embedded in the ground. She was able to take this chance to ram the pommel of her longsword into the side of his head and knocked him out. He slumped over onto the ground, staining it a deep red. The tired half-oni also went to the ground, but instead of keeling over, she sat on her knees.

The older centaur galloped over and knelt down to check on the unconscious fighter. She then said something Subaru couldn't exactly hear. Then, the warleader cantered over, meaning she and Aqua had to serve as translators again.

"You knocked him out. Why?" he asked Ayame, who was being healed by Choco. Meanwhile, the older centaur was busy healing her opponent.

"The fight wasn't to the death. He gave his all, as did I. There is no honor lost today," she replied confidently.

The warchief smiled and said, "Well said." He then knelt down on his front legs and presented the sword back to her, which she received ceremoniously. And with a most surprising gesture, he removed his ankheg bracers and presented them to her as well.

"But, I never asked for this, o warchief," she said in confusion.

The chief laughed and said, "You spared the life of my warrior when you could have easily taken it. Shouldn't such care for life be rewarded as well?"

To this, she had no words.

**AN: Hello, readers. This time its fireballs... fireballs everywhere...**

**Well, not exactly. They can't exactly spam fireballs non-stop. Not yet anyway. The assault on the raider base was interesting. Well-placed fireballs can be very troublesome... for both sides. They still pushed through and prevailed. In the aftermath, they got one sword. I should mention that they are rather valuable. The raiders had no idea what they had. Ayame had to win the other one back in a duel. We definitely saw how that panned out.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we have a returning face as well as a few new faces.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

_This was a fast and bloody fight with some unexpected rewards. My heart was pounding the entire time. It was an amazing fight and I was glad that she won. After the centaurs bade their goodbyes and left, we rode our horses back to the capital. Ayame thanked us for our help and gifted the bracers to me. She said this was a token of gratitude for our help. Then, she parted ways with us. The past few days were very stressful and I welcomed the rest. I still wanted to improve my languages and asked Aqua and Shion for help. They were even more receptive when I offered to pay for their room and board for a day. Learning how to speak elvish properly really helped when talking to those centaurs, so I really want to get a good grasp on it before going off on another adventure. And since Shion knew draconic, much to my surprise, I wanted to learn that too. Who knows if I might talk to a dragon or something? It helps to be prepared_.

* * *

"I think you have a good grasp of elvish now," said Aqua with a smile a day later.

"It's thanks to your help. I'm really grateful," Subaru said gratefully. She also said, "Thanks a lot, Aqua, Shion."

"Your draconic is still basic," Shion told her, "But keep at it. Don't be afraid to speak it. You learn from your mistakes."

"Rich coming from you," prodded the rogue.

"Shut. Up," the black magician growled.

"Urm, please don't start a fight here," the fighter pleaded.

It was then that a familiar face showed up at their table. "Aki! You're here," she exclaimed, "How have you been?"

"I've been well, Miss Subaru," greeted the elven druid, "What about you?"

"I think I've been doing alright," she replied with a grin.

"We'll be going now," interjected Aqua, "We'll be in touch, yes?"

"Yup!" she said as she waved them goodbye. Turning back to the elf, she continued, "So what brings you here?"

"Well, I was just passing through," the druid informed, "I am heading east. I heard that there's an elven village past the swamp and I was wondering how it differs from my homeland. Are you still interested in exploring the lands? Maybe you can come with me."

"Ooh, sure!" the fighter replied eagerly.

"Alright. I shall await you outside the east gate," stated Aki as she left the table.

"Alright!"

* * *

After telling her friends and getting their gear together, they assembled at the east gate with their horses. With Rushia and Subaru sharing one horse and Choco and Aki sharing the other, they made good time and reached the outskirts of the swamp easily. There the fighter found out at a roadside tavern that was set up to house travelers going through the swamp.

"Huh, I never knew this existed," said Subaru as they came up to the tavern.

"This is more of a mini outpost than anything," explained Choco, "Normally, you can't build anything on the swamp and if you could, you are limited to what you could use to build with."

"I see," the former mused. She turned to the others and asked, "Do any of you want to rest or shall we press on?"

They shrugged and shook their heads. "Alright, let's continue," she decided.

"Hallo! Do you need escorts?" someone called out. A lady in orange clothes was leaning from the doorway of the tavern waving at them.

"Erm, not really?" said the fighter as she glanced at her party, "I think we have it covered."

"C'mon, don't be like that!" the lady called out again as she came outside, "I'm a good tracker and a pretty good duelist."

"Are you hassling travelers again, Matsuri?" called out a fox girl who stepped out of the tavern too.

"I'm not, Fubuki," the lady protested as she turned around, "Just trying to persuade them to hire me."

The fox girl sighed and muttered, "Well, you have been getting stir crazy… I guess it's alright? I've been feeling the same myself. So, I better follow you just in case."

"Yeah," the girl replied, then she turned back to the group and asked with a happy smile, "So, want to hire me?"

The party looked at each other.

Choco shrugged and said, "If she is good as she says, I guess she could join up. Another cleric is fine too."

Rushia was indifferent.

"I suppose we can accept them," muttered Aki, "I do admit I have always traveled around the swamp. This might be a good experience."

Subaru thought for a moment, then addressed the two, "Alright, you can join us!"

"Yay!"

* * *

Surprisingly, Matsuri was a good tracker and guide. The way she led them down the solid land paths, it was like she had been using them many times. It made Subaru wonder how she knew them and how she got to be so experienced. So, she asked.

"Umm, eh heh," said the blushing girl, "I… rather not say..."

"Ah, okay. If you don't feel comfortable sharing, I won't ask again," assured the fighter.

"Thanks for understanding," was the reply.

"Ah! My pack!" shouted Rushia as she leaned over to grab it. One of the straps had snapped and it was falling over the other side.

"Wait! Stop! I'll get it for you!" called out Subaru hurriedly as she could feel the young necromancer pull her over as she reached to grab the falling backpack. The fighter quickly dismounted and retrieved the pack before it could sink in the swamp's murky water. She handed the pack back to her passenger, who opened it to examine the contents.

"Naaaaaa," she sounded off angrily when she pulled out her damp spellbook. Water did get into her pack. Subaru peeked inside. Her rations got ruined. Everything else looked damp. Thankfully, her father's spellbook didn't seem to get much water on it but that remains to be seen. The enduring spellbook was untouched.

"That's weird," muttered Choco aloud, noticing some faint wisps of smoke being emitted from the book, "Is your book smoking?"

"Smoking? Weird, doesn't look like it's on fire," commented Matsuri, "Kinda looks like… is it acid? Wait a minute..."

Suddenly, a large black figure lunged from out of the swamp straight for Subaru. A sleek, young black dragon clamped on Subaru's shield arm. Thankfully, she didn't let the pain overpower her senses and she was able to stab the dragon in the mouth, causing it to let go.

"Ha!" shouted Matsuri as she ran to help out, her rapier hitting it in the face.

"My goddess, send your guardian, our protector!" chanted Choco softly, who paused and called out something else, "Send your weapon to smite your enemies!" A radiant, spectral being appeared behind the dragon and a spirit weapon slammed into the dragon's side.

"You are now a sheep!" declared out Fubuki, raising her amulet to the sky. A beam of light flew out from it onto the dragon.

"Who are you to command me!" it roared in defiance as it shrugged off whatever spell she cast.

Meanwhile, Aki raised her arms and her staff to the sky as if in prayer. A beam of moonlight fell on the young black dragon, searing its flesh past its scales. Rushia waved her hands in front as she chanted, forming a ball of sickly green energy. She then threw it at the dragon, bathing it in blight. It roared and it suddenly sank into the water. Subaru tried to hit it but missed. It then rose up some distance away and let loose a torrent of acid, bathing the fighter, their guide, the young necromancer, and one of the horses in it.

All three of them shrieked in pain. Matsuri took the full force of the belch. Subaru had her arms seared by the acid and was able to shield Rushia from most of it with her shield, though she didn't escape the effects as the acid got on her legs.

"Stay behind me, Rushia," called out the fighter as she moved to put herself between the dragon and the green-haired girl.

"Brother!" roared out another guttural voice. To the party's horror, another young black dragon showed up. It then shot acid at them as well, covering Aki, Fubuki, and the other horse, causing more shrieking. The fox girl tried to cover both of them with her shield, taking the full brunt of the acid but partially covering the druid. Choco took charge of this, chanting a prayer and keeping them alive. The guide, the druid, and the second cleric hurriedly gathered around the tiefling to partially recover.

Re-energized, Fubuki took this chance to cast a flash of light at the first young dragon, striking it in the eyes and killing it. With a gesture, Aki moved the moonbeam over the second young dragon, causing it to roar in pain. Meanwhile, Rushia sent another glob of green at its head and it exploded.

"You dare to try that with me!" it roared as it ducked under a spectral ram's head sent out by Subaru, "I will not be blinded by this. I will destroy you and feast on your rotting body!"

It suddenly sent another torrent of acid at them, bathing Matsuri, Subaru, and Choco in extreme pain. The tiefling kept up her chanting, their guide surviving by the skin of her teeth due to her healing. Fubuki retaliated with another bolt of light while Aki moved in to help with the healing, soothing the pain, and reviving the flesh. Rushia followed up with a beam of sickly green light that struck its chest.

"I will melt your flesh and crunch your bones!" it roared, once again avoiding another ram's head. It lunged forward and attacked Subaru, it's teeth raking against her shield but it's sharp claws slammed down on her. She could feel something crack and worried that she might not be able to hold on to her shield.

Brought back to fighting condition, Matsuri ran forward and attacked, only for her rapier to bounce off its black scales. Choco tried to continue healing but she was knocked off her feet by the dragon's tail. So, she mentally had her spiritual weapon slam into its side in retaliation. Fubuki and Rushia continued their cycle. The fox girl attacked with a bolt of light with the necromancer's beam following it. Meanwhile, Aki repositioned the moonbeam over the dragon and continued to sear it with light.

"No, how dare my food fight back!" it roared.

"Shut! Up!" Subaru yelled back as she was able to pierce its weakened scales and draw its blood.

"Fool," it retorted as it lashed out, her shield blocking its mouth and its claws, but a second swipe broke her shield arm. She yelled out in pain.

"You're the fool!" shouted Matsuri as the fighter yelled in pain, thrusting forward with her rapier many times but only one being able to hit it in the eye before it was able to pull back its head.

As it roared in pain, Choco moved her spirit weapon, causing it to slam into the dragon's head. First from the side, then from the top, and then from the top again to crush its skull for good measure. After its death, the only thing filling the air was heavy breathing.

"I think… we better go. Now," spoke up Subaru tiredly, "It said something about a brother. I don't want to wait around for more to show up."

"I think it was talking about the other dragon, but yeah, we better leave quickly," agreed Choco, "Let me mend your arm first."

Everyone else agreed with the sentiment and they quickly made their way out of the swamp, led by Matsuri. As they hurried on their way, an extremely loud roar shook the entire swamp, which prompted them to run even faster. They stopped and collapsed to the ground the moment they stepped onto green grass, signifying the split between the swamp and the green rolling plains that visibly gave way to farmlands.

"Let's not fight dragons again," pleaded Choco as everyone in the party caught their breath.

"Yeah! I don't wanna go into the light," agreed Matsuri.

"Ha… we better get on with it. I think I can see a village," muttered Subaru as she looked on ahead.

"Right right right right right, let's go please. I need to rest," added Fubuki, prompting everyone to get to their feet and trudge on.

* * *

_We made it to the village by nightfall. Thankfully, most of our equipment wasn't damaged badly, save maybe a few holes in Choco's cloak. Checking into the inn, everyone pretty much headed to bed and slept like logs. At least I think we did. Hmm, finally did see my magic ring in action. Not that… effective? Maybe it was just the dragons. Yeah... dragons too strong for it..._

_When morning came, we sent our equipment to be repaired. Fubuki seemed to know the smith there and offered to pay for the repairs. I accepted happily. Meanwhile, Rushia was a little depressed after she checked her stepfather's spellbook. Two of the spells had become unintelligible and she couldn't do anything about it. Aki asked around and was told by a visiting elf who lived at the elf village she was looking for. We parted ways then. She did say she would be staying there for a while to learn all she can. So, we could visit them later on if we wanted to._

_After speaking with Choco, we decided to travel around the plains for a while as there seemed to be more villages and a hub town popping up there. Even more surprising was that Fubuki and Matsuri decided to stick around for a while. So, we made plans to visit the other villages and the town_.

* * *

"So, we go on the northeast road first?" asked Subaru as Choco finished blessing them.

"Yup, just as the barman told me," replied the tiefling with a smile, "We would eventually reach a village there."

"Alright, let's get a move on then," said the fighter jovially as she led the way.

It was somewhat peaceful. Farmlands gave way to green open plains. On the way, they passed something strange. An old, dead tree with an abandoned wooden contraption under it. It looked like one of those scarecrows that they saw guarding the farmlands. An old rusted scythe was embedded in the tree, the huge blade seemingly stuck in its gnarled roots. They didn't notice anything strange about it and paid no heed to it. However, after passing the tree, Matsuri halted in her tracks.

"Hey, what's that scratching sound?" she asked aloud as she turned around to look. The only thing there was… a scarecrow?

"What's wrong, Matsuri?" asked Fubuki.

"Strange," muttered Rushia as she caught sight of the strange construct. She dropped her pack and pulled out her arcane rod. She then cast a spell over herself, the protective shell flickering over her body.

"Wasn't that the thing we saw by the tree earlier?" asked Choco, mirroring the actions of the young necromancer, which prompted others to do the same.

"Yeah," sounded the swamp guide as she stepped nearer to the big scarecrow. Its eyes suddenly lit up with a red glow and batted her away. She screamed loudly but was safely caught by the tiefling in mid-air.

The big scarecrow screeched as it became more animated, "One… of ten... Call… two… then..." It held up the old rusted scythe and two medium-sized scarecrows appeared in a burst of red energy. Before they could attack, it took a few steps and swung its scythe. The blade got behind Subaru's shield and left a deep cut in her side.

"Argh," she yelled out and struck back, slashing it twice across the chest. A green aura flashed as she did so, making her wonder if this was just a reanimated machine.

Hearing a shout next to her, Matsuri came up beside her and stabbed it with her rapier, merely clinking against the metal frame. Suddenly, the swamp guide froze in place. Seconds later, Choco showed up and attacked the big scarecrow too. Her made barely did anything, but the spirit weapon that appeared next to her did and it let out something between a moan and a roar. Then, a ball of blackish-green splashed on its face, only to merely fall off it like water.

The big scarecrow then let loose a loud howl and a wave of dark green energy washed over Subaru and her two friends. She felt like vomiting at that moment. It then gave out a creepy laugh as the other two scarecrows closed in on her friends. One started attacking Choco and the other, Matsuri, who seemed paralyzed with fear. The fighter tried to fight back, but the sickly feeling she felt made her stomach churn and her weak swings barely made a dent on its metal frame.

Choco seemed to be in a better condition than she was, the tiefling's spirit mace continued to slam into it, causing it to wail a lot more. Then a beam of sickly green energy slammed into its body. It did nothing. Following that, Fubuki came up behind it. Subaru could see a host of spirits shaped like some sort of fae flitting around her. As the spirits passed through the big scarecrow and the scarecrow next to it, they seemed to shudder a lot, as if they were going to fall apart any second.

The big scarecrow then let loose another loud howl. That sickly feeling increased and Subaru came very close to collapsing. She was able to push through it and struck back. Starting with a downward slash and following up with a stab to its chest. It started wailing and screeching, and the fighter could swear that she saw a translucent dark mass leaving its body. The big scarecrow then collapsed over backward. At the same time, it was as if a hand wrapped itself around her heart. She froze with fear. Irrational thoughts started invading her mind. Hand clammy, knees weak and shaky, and arms were heavy. All she felt like doing was digging a hole in the ground and hiding in it.

As sudden as the fear descended on her, it suddenly stopped. Subaru then remembered where she was. She then noticed the scarecrow facing Choco collapsing as the spirits flitting around Fubuki seemingly sucked out everything that was holding it together. Emboldened by another enemy falling, she led the charge to take down the last scarecrow.

"I-i-is it o-o-over?" stammered Matsuri, still overcome with fright.

"Honestly, I don't know," said the tiefling, "I never heard of farming implements coming to life. Not like this."

"Let's just hurry on to the next village," Subaru suggested, also still feeling that sickly sensation, "I have a feeling we don't want to be caught outside with this running around."

**AN: Hello, readers. Things start getting hairy from here onward. There will be difficult stuff ahead as well as a non-descript cameo appearance from outside.**

**Well, other than that, we have two more friends that joined our little party. We have Matsuri.**

Matsuri Natsuiro

Human Fighter

Dueling Scout

**So, she has a disgraced courtier background, something I made up. I gave her a bottle of perfume as little girls like messing with make-up and lovely-smelling scents. And... her flaw is '** I am a lolicon...er, ahem, I am in love with Fubuki. Lolicon? What lolicon? **'**

**And this is Fubuki.**

Fubuki Shirakami

Zenko Kitsune Cleric

Trickery Domain

**At the time of drawing up her character sheet, I hadn't seen that video of her playing party games with the other hololivers going atatatatatata, oraoraoraoraora, mudamudamudamuda, ariariariariari, arrivederci. If I saw that, I would have made another Path of the Astral Self monk. But, that could be a potential second incarnation if I ever do one. I love a good punch out. But in this fic, Korone takes it. She is best doggo. God Dog. The Doog Slayer. As you fish.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we have even more creepy and spooky settings for you.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**

**Addendum: This is why 2020, we can't have nice things. Mano Aloe, you will be missed. If I ever do Wanderlust 2, I will definitely immortalize you in writing. No questions asked.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

_The fight was disturbing. To feel myself lock up like that… it was so strange and unnatural. I can still feel the effect in my bones. I rather not feel like that ever again, but I'd be lying to myself if I said I wouldn't. Who knows what else is out there that could have the same effect on me and my friends…_

_We reached the village just as the sun set. The farmland around it seemed smaller than what I saw in the previous village. The soil here was probably not as good. We lodged in some rooms above the tavern. I shared one with Choco and Rushia while Matsuri and Fubuki shared the other. The next day, I had a chat with the tavern keeper during breakfast._

_She was quite surprised when I told her about the fight we had yesterday. Apparently the big scarecrow was a spirit of sorts and it liked hunting people. We were quite fortunate as it is said to inflict its victims with fearful visions to keep them still enough for an easy catch. Was that why Matsuri was shaking like a leaf yesterday? Was that why I felt so much fear yesterday? It did make sense. I just hope we don't meet another one of those scarecrow lords or barons or whatever stronger versions there are out there_.

* * *

"Are we ready to go?" asked Subaru as she eyed the others. They were standing outside the village, waiting for Choco and Fubuki to finish blessing them. Rushia stood off to the side, casting her own spells.

"Yup, ready and waiting," replied Matsuri with a grin. She seemed to have recovered from her ordeal yesterday. The fighter was glad. She understood the feeling.

"We are ready," declared the fox girl as she gave a thumbs up with the hand that was holding on to her amulet.

"Alright, let's go," announced Subaru as they set off on their journey.

For after an hour of walking, farmlands gave way to open plains once again. It remained uneventful until Choco spotted smoke rising from the distance. On her urging, they hurried on their way, only to find a wreckage of a burnt caravan on the side of the road with the flames dying out. There were no visible bodies.

"By the gods, what happened here?" muttered Fubuki in horror.

"There are tracks leading to the woods that way," stated the tiefling as her sharp eyes noticed some deep scratches and grooves in the earth leading to the woods in the east. It was filled with dead and dying trees.

"We should go and check to see if there are any survivors," pondered Subaru aloud.

"If you're sure," murmured Matsuri a little as the fighter led the others to the woods.

Leaving their packs at the first tree, they stepped into the woods with their weapons drawn. It was quiet. Too quiet. All they heard were the cracking of branches and leaves that they caused as they walked through the woods. The trees seemed to stretch high into the sky with their bleached-brown skeletons. It would have been a scary experience if they went in at night, but it was just as unnerving during the day.

"I think Aki wouldn't have liked this place," muttered Subaru warily.

"I think any druid wouldn't like this place," chipped in Choco, "Too dead to feel anything."

"Dis~~gra~~ce..."

It was soft and inhuman-like, but everyone heard it. It sent a chill down the fighter's spine. She glanced to the side and noticed the swamp guide shuddering. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Ru~~shia~~..."

"Papa?" questioned the young necromancer in confusion.

"Fi~~lthy de~~mon..."

"Sto~~~p hi~~ding..."

"...come home safely..."

The last phrase jolted her a bit. "Father? Mother?" she muttered. Her heart was beating rapidly. Why was she hearing her parents here?

Seconds ticked by.

"Fi~~ddle~~sti~~cks..."

Suddenly, a horrific-looking scarecrow made of metal appeared in their midst with a scythe in one hand and sharpened claws in for the other hand. The entire area became blanketed with flitting spectral crows. As they passed through the party, the entire area became blanketed with the feeling of death. Subaru recovered first, ignoring the horrible feeling, and slashed its body twice. A black beam of enervating energy slammed into a tree behind it. Matsuri stepped in to her left, looking quite green, her feeble attacks barely scratching its body. A spectral being appeared behind it, bathing it in searing light while Fubuki stepped in to her right with her fae spirits flitting around her.

"First of te~~n, fear of me~~n," it declared with metallic screeching as its eyes glowed bright red and let loose a shrieking cry.

Subaru powered through it, but her longsword missed as a spectral crow flew through her face. A glob of darkness then flew at its head and enveloped it entirely, causing it to shriek louder, while Matsuri froze in terror the moment she heard it. It then shuffled forward, a beam of holy flame scorching the tree behind it but its luck didn't hold as a spirit mace was slammed into its head. It screeched in defiance.

Fubuki shouted, "The Trickster guides your blade!" and fired a point-blank flash of light from her amulet.

"Li~~fe for li~~fe..." it screeched as a wave of dark-red energy spiraled outward and reabsorbed back into it. It was as if Subaru, Matsuri, and Fubuki had all their life sapped from their bodies. Their faces became gaunt, eyes sunken in, and their bodies feeling heavy. As the spectral crows disappeared and the black bubble around its head went away, the fox girl keeled over to the left. She fell on the ground, grasping at her throat as if having trouble breathing.

"Fubuki!" shouted the fighter. Galvanized by urgency, she slashed its body furiously, prompting more metallic screeching. Another black glob flew in and splashed harmlessly on the dead tree. Matsuri, finally getting over her fear, continued to stab at the scarecrow with a lucky hit detaching one of its arms. Then, Choco showed up and started to heal the fox girl while the spirit weapon crashed into the scarecrow's chest, decimating it entirely. It crumpled with one last unholy screech.

Subaru fell over backward. She felt so tired. So drained.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked the tiefling as she came to her side.

"I… just feel so tired," she muttered, her mind shaken and full of questions. As she was helped up to her feet, she continued, "I heard my parents. That… thing… how did it know what they sounded like? This..."

"Hey! Subaru, calm down," the former said as she shook the fighter by the shoulders, "I heard what it said too. I heard familiar voices as well. Don't let it get to you."

"Look, let's just get out of here," stated Fubuki as she pulled on a rather forlorn-looking Matsuri, "That thing obviously had weird powers around fear. Just like that tavern-keeper said. I highly doubt it could die just like that since it just showed up and attacked us with another body."

"Alright, we get out of here now," agreed the tiefling as she pulled the fighter along. Rushia wordlessly followed after them.

Once again, they reached the next village as the sun set. However, they were shocked when most of the inhabitants had left for the main hub. They went up to the remaining inhabitants there and asked about what happened.

"We've been getting harassed by evil spirits," said the gruff man, the innkeeper, looking quite displeased with the current situation, "Crops refuse to grow. Wells running low. Now honest folk getting attacked in their houses. It isn't safe anymore."

"We had hoped to get some rest here," said Choco unhappily, "If you don't mind, maybe we could join you on your journey. We were heading to the hub town ourselves."

He paused for a moment and replied, "We won't be able to pay you..."

"Right, Right, Right, Right, Right, Right. Please, no need to pay us," cut off Fubuki, "We just want to get to a safe place to rest and if we get you all to a safe place too, all the better. I mean, we encountered some evil spirits ourselves and won with great difficulty."

"...I suppose you can join us. Get in on the caravan then," he finally said. Subaru went with Matsuri and Rushia in the caravan while the tiefling and the fox girl sat on the roof. He got up on his cart and whipped the reins. The four horses neighed and pulled. The caravan trundled on their way.

* * *

_Night time came and went. Matsuri was somehow well enough to help hunt for some extra food for the night. I was still very shaken so I was left out of the watch rotation. But, could you blame me for being out of it? To hear my parent's voices after so long. To hear them through that thing's… mouth… I was horrified. I worry for them. I know that they are far away, back on the island. They had Mio to look out for them. Sergeant Yu. Old Man Saru. Gods help me. I can't lose it like this. I want to be assured that they are safe but… I truly need to calm down. I have to face this like another challenge. I have to pick myself back up. If not for me, then for my friends._

* * *

Farmlands started cropping up again. Signs of peaceful inhabitance were clearly there. The party calmed down somewhat and a few of them walked side-by-side with the caravan. Although, Subaru seemed to flinch whenever they neared an ordinary scarecrow.

"Are you alright?" asked Choco with concern.

"...Not really?" admitted the fighter, "I still feel bothered by what happened."

The tiefling sighed and replied, "You aren't alone in that. I don't think anyone could avoid being affected by what we went through."

"Fear is a primal thing," added Fubuki, "Everything is afraid of something. All we can do is try not to let it determine what we do with our lives."

"That's … comforting a bit," said Subaru with a little relief.

"Well, we've arrived," announced the tiefling softly, "Hub town Solfano. Where everyone brings their produce here to sell, making it have the biggest market in the east of the continent."

Roughly hewn stone walls came into view. Minutes later, they walked past the great wooden doors into a peaceful town. However, they could feel an underlying anxiousness in the air. The market area had several caravans there, presumably from the abandoned village they came from. The innkeeper was welcomed with a subdued greeting. After getting thanked for their escort, the party got some rooms at the tavern.

* * *

"Help!"

"Help us, Subaru!"

"Ru~~n! It's co~~ming after u~~s"

Subaru's eyes flew open and she sat up immediately. Her breath was heavy and her body was drenched in sweat. Glancing to the side, Choco was sleeping soundly in her bed. Rushia looked peaceful on the floor.

"It was just a dream," she muttered with relief. A creak came from the corner of the room. Slowly, she turned her head and set her eyes in that direction. Her heart began beating even faster when she caught sight of misshapen metal stakes. Ragged clothes. A rotten hood pulled down all the way with holes. Red glowing eyes. A rusted scythe.

"Su~~baru..."

She screamed. The scythe was swung.

* * *

Subaru woke up screaming. This jolted everyone else in the room awake.

"Subaru! It's fine. You're safe here," exclaimed Choco as she jumped over to give the fighter a hug, rubbing her back to calm her down.

Slowly and eventually, she calmed down, her breath leveling and heart slowing down. "I… this is too much," she muttered, "I've never had a nightmare like that. I never had a nightmare at all until now. I think."

"Are you alright now?" the tiefling asked. Getting a nod, she continued, "Try and get some sleep. I'll try to seek guidance in the meantime, alright?"

"I'll try," she muttered as she laid back into her bed and closed her eyes. She sighed but tried her best to fall asleep. In the end, she did. A dreamless sleep.

When she woke up again, to her relief it was morning. She rubbed her eyes and got ready for breakfast. However, she quickly found out there was nothing much to do after eating. Choco went around offering her services, Fubuki sat in her room in seclusion. So, she, Rushia, and Matsuri sat at a table in the tavern lounging around.

"I'm surprised you're not upstairs, Rushia," said Subaru in a bored tone, with a bit of tiredness.

"Can't find any good ink. Doesn't sell any reagents," the young necromancer muttered with a pout, "I can't try out new spells from Papa's book, Subaru."

"Hn, what about you, Matsuri?" the fighter asked, "Ï thought you'd be hunting."

"Umm, I would..." the swamp guide replied hesitantly, "But… you know… scarecrows..."

"...I know the feeling," she muttered in despondence. Her head slumped down to the table and she muttered, "I just want to undo what I heard. That was too disturbing."

They sat there in silence, unsure of what to say.

* * *

Night came. The atmosphere in the tavern was subdued compared to the usual noise level of a place of drinking. The party sat around the table in silence.

"Choco, Fubuki, how was your day?" asked Subaru.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," replied the tiefling.

"Something will happen tonight," stated the fox girl softly. She looked at them and continued, "I don't know what will happen to cause it. My goddess hasn't shown me that much. But, there is a sense of fear under it all."

The fighter clenched her fists involuntarily in reaction to it. The mention of the word 'fear' prompted it. Rushia pat one of her fists and continued eating. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she said, "Alright. This is what we'll do..."

* * *

It was a slightly cloudy night. The moon's light wasn't as strong as what she experienced previously. Subaru shivered a little. Partially to the cold, partly to the tinge of fear she felt. She was paired up with Choco and Rushia to patrol the east side of Solfano while Matsuri and Fubuki checked about the west side of the town. The shadows seemed to lengthen and a lot more suspicious. Although, the normal sounds of the night like the buzzing of insects and the like are very absent. It was creeping her out a bit. Just a bit.

"Help."

The word faintly whispered, as if far off. The three of them turned to the direction. They would either have to go through a space between houses or go around the house along the road and search behind them.

"We go around the house. I'll go first," Subaru told them. Getting nods from the others, she walked slowly and peeked around the corner of the house. She found a vegetable garden. With a scarecrow overlooking it. Her breath hitched. It didn't move. She glanced over to the other house. Same thing. However, the scarecrow there was a little larger than normal. Almost as if…

The head twisted and tilted to the side.

She withdrew and slammed herself against the wall. Her heart was beating fast, her breathing becoming rapid, and her eyes going wide. A hand touched her arm and she flinched.

"Calm down, Subaru," consoled Choco, "What scared you so much?"

"Hi~~de he~~re, To~~mmy~~."

Subaru leaped away from the wall. The voice sounded like it was right next to her ears. Luck was with her, as its scythe had just buried itself to where her head was. Slowly, it stepped out of the shadows, its metal parts screeching and dragging on the stone-laid road. Her heart still raced, but she still got ready to fight. Choco and Rushia ran up and stood by her side. She felt a little more confident and a little less scared. The fear returned to the forefront when that grating metallic noise issued out of its mouth.

"Hu~~ngry~~"

**AN: Hello, readers. This is our cameo. Introducing Fiddlesticks from League of Legends. A demonic spirit of fear. I think I did a pretty good job of porting him over to D &D. We are going to terrify Subaru. These kinds of things tend to stick in your head for a long, long while.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we shall kick off the second fight.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no, I don't want to fight it again! No! But… Rushia. Choco. No, I have to fight. For them! We just have to stall until Matsuri and Fubuki get here. Yeah, that's it… I just hope we survive long enough to get there._

* * *

It screeched and swung its scythe, launching a wave of energy at their heads. Subaru and Choco held up their shields but it just passed through them. The fighter opened her mouth to give out her orders but nothing came out. Same with Rushia. "This is not looking good," muttered the tiefling.

Shaking her head, Subaru threw caution to the wind and charged straight at the menacing scarecrow. Striking its chest, it let out a baleful screech. A spirit mace materialized and swung, clipping it in the shoulder.

"Fubuki! Matsuri! It's here!" she heard Choco shout out.

She then brought up her shield to block its claw, the metal scraping against it. She fought back, her sword crashing against its scythe as they traded blows. It then raised its claw and intercepted a black beam of energy. The mace swung again, crashing against the blocking arm, which held strong. That same arm wasn't able to block a flash of light that slammed into its chest. This got an unintelligible screech and it started sounding like a crow. It then disappeared without any warning or sign.

"What? Where-?" she sounded before screaming in pain. Spectral crows started flitting in front of her. She could hear the caws that sounded so near and yet far off. She grit her teeth through the pain, turned around to charge at it, and she struck. She struck its back right in the center and she could hear a howl not from its head but from inside its chest. It swung around and batter her sword away with its claw.

"Stay away from Rushia!" she roared, noticing how close it was to her. As the big scarecrow was distracted, the young necromancer ran out of the storm of spectral crows and a second later, launched a ball of glowing green energy at its chest. Strangely, it seemed to injure it and its chest started howling again. The entire metal and wood body shook as if in pain. The mace chased after it and slammed into its other shoulder.

"Be healed!" called out Choco as a soft green glow washed over Rushia. The big scarecrow then turned around fully and swung its scythe, burying it in her side. Subaru screamed in pain and in horror when her eyes began swimming with visions of dead bodies. Her parents. Her friends. All of them around her. Dead.

"Nooooo!" as she reached out to them. Then, the visions stopped as suddenly as they appeared. As her vision cleared, she saw the big scarecrow grabbing her shield. Rushia and Choco were on the ground, twitching and shuddering. She also saw Matsuri and Fubuki in the distance. She couldn't see what they were doing but she put that aside. She tried to attack but her swings were weak and scraped weakly against its body.

"Li~~fe for li~~fe..." it screeched as a wave of dark-red energy spiraled outward and reabsorbed back into it. Subaru's vision became blurry and she could feel herself falling… falling… falling…

Suddenly, her vision cleared. She was on the road. From how her head was turned, she could see Fubuki kneeling over Choco, her hand over her chest. Matsuri was nocking another arrow to her bow. Her senses screamed at her to move and she pushed herself away as hard as she could. A metal claw slammed down to where her head used to be. Looking up, she could see the big scarecrow looming over her. An arrow was sticking out of its chest, tearing part of the rags that covered it.

Subaru's eyes went wide. Behind the cloth was a small cage. It was hastily made? Remade? And in it was a roiling ball of darkness with two red pinpricks of red light that looked to be eyes. This was the thing animating the construct? She tensed her muscles and launched herself at it, ducking under the scythe-wielding arm and grabbed the cage. She then stabbed the mass of darkness. Once. Twice. With a roar, trice.

An unholy scream echoed in her ears as the mass of darkness exploded out of the cage and dissipated almost instantly. The scarecrow body slumped down like a puppet whose strings had been cut. She took a few, shaky steps back and fell down to her knees. She leaned forward against her sword and breathed in deep to calm herself down.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked Matsuri as she put her hand on the fighter's shoulder.

"Now… now… I am..." Subaru wheezed out as she felt relief wash over her body, "Now… I am..."

She then slumped forward, unconscious and exhausted.

* * *

Subaru immediately sat up in her bed. Only it wasn't her bed. The room also looked larger than normal. She looked around. Choco and Rushia were in the room as well, also in their own beds.

" _What happened_..." she wondered as she spotted her stuff by the side of her new bed, " _Last I remembered_..." Remembering what happened…

The door to the room opened and Fubuki peeked in. "Good morning!" she greeted with a gentle smile, "I'm glad you got up."

"I… urgh… what happened?" she asked lethargically.

"You defeated it," the fox girl stated as she stepped inside, "I could feel all that malice and unnatural terror evaporating the moment you stabbed it."

The fighter sighed in relief, feeling her spirits lift a little, and asked, "That's… great. So how did we get here?"

"We are in the biggest room at the inn," the former informed her, "The villagers that were still awake helped to carry you here. They are very grateful for our help. Matsuri and I got free rooms too."

"Ha... I'm glad. Does that mean the villagers from that other village can go back?" the latter asked.

"Right, Right, Right, Right, Right, Right. They can," Fubuki confirmed, "The roads should be safer now. It shouldn't be back until many, many years later."

"Ah, that's good," she muttered as she fell back onto the bed. She heard the rustling of sheets and Rushia yawning. Turning to her left, she watched the young necromancer stretch and look around. Then, she noticed something strange.

"Rushia, part of your hair turned pink," said the fighter as she patted the left side of her head.

"Ah," the girl sounded as she stared at her, and then shook her head, "I don't mind."

"Looks like we survived."

Subaru looked to her right and found Choco looking straight at her. "Hi, hi, we did," she agreed.

"Alright, it should be time for you to get out of your beds and come down for lunch. I'll see you all downstairs," informed Fubuki as she left the room.

* * *

_I am relieved. That...thing… is not going to come back any time soon. Fubuki's words. I sincerely hope she's right. I don't want anyone else to go through what I went through. It was… I wanted to curl up into a ball and hide away. What I saw… I don't know if I can ever get over it. I don't know if the others went through the same thing. I hope they didn't. I still want to explore the world. I don't want fear to control my life. I won't let it._

* * *

The team took the day to relax and recover from their ordeal. However, relief was apparent on their faces. Well, except Rushia, who didn't seem to be affected by the ordeal save for the left half her hair turning white. Nobody really wanted to ask why, but Subaru and Choco had an inkling as to why. They remained at the village for another night before packing their things and getting ready to leave. When deciding where to go, they pretty much left it up to Subaru, who wanted to head straight to the elf village Aki mentioned before. However, they had never been there before and so they decided to go to the village near the swamp to get directions.

Before they left though, the mayor of the town met with them. He then told them that the townspeople had discussed with him about a reward for them. Eventually, they decided to have them go to the blacksmith to choose their reward.

"An enchanter came through here a week ago. Firebeard, our smith, managed to wrangle some enchantments out of him. Please, you are welcome to have a look and choose something for yourself," the mayor informed with a smile.

They agreed and thanked him before heading straight to the smithy. After some discussion, Matsuri and Fubuki took the dwarven smith on his offer while the others decided their equipment was fine enough and abstained from choosing. The fox girl got some new armor while the guide got new weapons. After making their choices, they headed straight for the first village they came to after the anymore scarecrows waylaying them, they made it in good time and spent the night there. It was there that Fubuki told them something unexpected after offering to pay for everything.

"Well, this is it. I'm afraid I have to leave," she informed them.

"Eh, why?" asked Subaru in surprise.

"Well, I was only here to investigate the happenings here," she explained, "Now that the spirit of fear has been disrupted, I must return to the shrine near the capital for guidance."

"Eh, why must it be there?" asked Choco curiously.

The fox girl replied, "There are no shrines in this part of the continent. That shrine site is the nearest one. It's unfortunate, but I am sure we'll meet again."

"No! Fubuki! Don't leave me!" shouted as Matsuri launched herself at the fox girl and hugged while having tears streaming down her eyes.

"Wha-what? Stop that!" she protested to no avail.

"Fubuki! FUBUKI!" the girl continued to exclaim with a red, excited face as she continued to hug while the one on the receiving end tried to pry her off.

"Subaru, she sounds like a pervert," muttered Rushia.

"Erm...uh..." the fighter sounded as she scratched her head, not knowing what to do. Choco just chuckled while covering her mouth.

* * *

Safe to say, Matsuri's outburst freaked out Fubuki so much that she disappeared into the night. The swamp guide was quite sad to see her friend gone. Still, she stuck around with the group and followed them to the elf village. They still needed to travel south into a large forest. The roads were still clear. After veering off the road to step into the forest, they still took a while to search for it. It was supposed to be hidden after all. If anything, Subaru hoped to bump into Aki somewhere, but no luck. The odd thing was that they barely met any small animals. It was… strange.

After wandering aimlessly through the forest for what felt to be a long time, they realized that evening had fallen.

"Hng, we may need to make camp soon," informed Matsuri as she stared at the sky.

"What are the chances of the elven village being hidden?" asked Choco.

"Very high."

"I was afraid of that," the tiefling muttered in annoyance.

"Erm, what's that doing there?" asked Subaru as she pointed ahead.

In a small clearing in front of them sat a large black was staring straight at them. Everyone froze.

"No sudden moves please," requested their guide softly.

"A wise choice," spoke up a voice behind them. They remained silent. To the fighter, it sounded a bit like Aki… but different.

"Slowly turn around. Do not reach for your weapons or I will shoot," ordered the voice with a warning tacked on. They did as they were told and faced a tanned girl with elven features and blonde hair dressed in green leather that had some chain peeking out from the side. She was aiming an arrow straight at Rushia. A grunt behind them and a heavy, black-furred paw placed on Subaru's shoulder told them what the bear was doing.

"Now, would you mind telling me what you are doing in the forest," the half-elf asked sweetly.

"Well, we are searching for our friend. Maybe you know Aki Rosenthal? Maybe she visited at one point?" asked the fighter.

"Ah, the traveling elf was your friend?" asked the former rhetorically as she lowered her longbow, "I see. She mentioned you before."

"Ah, that's good to know," the latter said with a grin, "Can we visit the village?"

"Hmm, I need Aki to vouch for you first… first, we go to a familiar meeting point for the village," she informed them, "Then, I will bring Aki to identify you."

"We agree," replied Subaru. The ranger nodded and motioned them to follow. Meanwhile, the bear got on all fours and ambled on ahead, falling in her step.

"I wonder why all the precautions," muttered Choco.

"I guess we'll have to ask when we meet up with Aki," mused the fighter. She then quickened the pace a little and called out, "Hey! We never got your name. What do we call you?"

"You can call me Flare. Everyone does," was the half-elf's answer.

* * *

"Oh, my. What a wonderful surprise to see you," exclaimed Aki when she came to the clearing.

"Hi, hi, Aki. Nice to see you too," replied Subaru happily.

After confirming their identities, Flare guided them to the village. One the way, the elf asked about Fubuki, to which they explained what happened to them over the past few days.

"Well, at least you got past that horrible experience," said the druid after that.

"Yeah, I'm glad I did. I'm glad we all did," the fighter muttered with a little uncertainty.

"Well, you are in safe lands now. I'm sure it will be fine," assured the former.

"Well, here we are. Luth'riel Village," proclaimed the half-elf as they walked past the trees into a wide clearing. An open wooden gate flanked by wooden walls. Past it was the village. The sentries manning the walls recognized Flare and motioned them inside.

Wooden houses were the norm here. Compared to the towns they had been in, the houses were set up in a disorderly fashion. It seemed that way at first. But, they were still built evenly spaced out and around a central tree. It was tall and it looked to be many years old, its branches heavy with leaves and vines. Compared to where they entered the village from, the trees around the village seemed densely grown together. Subaru couldn't tell if it really was the case or some sort of elf magic. Overall, it seemed quite peaceful. It was also nighttime and the houses were lit from within with candlelight.

Flare led them to a moderately large dwelling. "I'm afraid we don't get many visitors. You are welcome to stay at my house in the meantime. Aki is staying in the guest room but if you want, you are welcome to make use of my room as well," she explained as she let them in and lit the candles in the room. Her bear laid on the ground outside and began to snooze.

"Actually, how about those three take the guest room? Rushia and I can share your room with you," suggested Aki.

"Oh, that sounds good," agreed Subaru with a grin.

"I wouldn't mind," Choco chimed in as she shrugged.

"Okay," quipped Matsuri.

"Ah," murmured Rushia.

**AN: Hello, readers. Things got really hairy there. When I ran that battle, those three did go down, doing death saving throws. It was only thanks to Fubuki and Matsuri that they got saved. Then, we get the hint of Rushia, very slowly, transforming into her alternate costume. It will be slow, but changes will be sudden. But, more changes won't be happening in a while. After that, Matsuri had her moment. Yes. She was yelling for Fubuki. I am not ashamed of putting that there.**

**Well, other than that, we have another friend... that won't our little party. Aki will join us instead. And as those who watch Hololive know so well, when this one is around, the other won't be far behind. I bring you, Flare.**

Flare Shiranui

Half-Elf Ranger

Beastmaster

**Kinpatsu is not a panda here, but instead is a black bear.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we have a big battle that they may or may not be participating in.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

_Waking up in an elven home is a new experience. Waking up to a soft, fresh breeze and soft, glinting sun is a lovely feeling. I just want to lay in bed all day and keep having this relaxed feeling. I think this was just what I needed to recover. Getting away from it all, be at peace with the world. Away from all… urk… I guess I can't escape breakfast just yet. Hi, hi._

* * *

Breakfast went as it normally would. After that, Flare had to go on patrol, but she invited them to explore the village while she was gone. Which they did. Subaru found the place quite interesting. If you overlook that the entire population in the village were elves and half-elves, it was just like a normal village. The smith had some interesting stuff for sale that she really wanted to get a hold of but didn't have enough gold for it. It was amazing. Elven chain. Beautifully crafted bows. Swords with intricate engravings and elven enchantments. Enchanted arrows.

She rejoined everyone else at Flare's house. Aki was taking care of the food while the others were seated at the table.

"So, finished exploring the place?" she asked everyone as she sat at the table.

"Such a peaceful village," exclaimed Choco, "I wouldn't mind settling here after hanging up my traveling boots. I'm still getting stared at just as much as the outside but I think I can make it work."

"It's a pretty place," stated Rushia, "I like the butterflies."

"It is pretty, right?" quipped Matsuri, "I think I agree with Choco. I wouldn't mind living here. Eheh… _some pretty cute ones too_ … eh heh."

"What was that?" asked the fighter, not really catching the tail end of her words.

"Nothing," the guide replied before whistling a tune.

Before she could say anything else, Flare came into the house and slammed her hands on the table angrily. "I want to request for your help," she told them, "Will you accept?"

They looked at each other in confusion. "We don't even know what you need help with," stated Subaru.

"...Sorry, I'm just… urgh, this is the situation," the tanned half-elf said after a frustrated sigh, "One of the village patrols had not checked in this morning. When we found… what's left of them… there were also several dead orcs. We believe that they were attacked by a scouting party and they will be searching for the village. I don't know how big the warband will be. I just know we need to stop them. I am not going to lose my village... my mother's village to them. So, Will. You. Help. Me."

"Yes, we will," exclaimed Subaru immediately after the explanation.

"Heär, hear," added Choco.

"Yes," muttered Rushia.

"Of course, we will," agreed Aki.

"Yeah! Let's save your village!" shouted Matsuri.

"...thank you, everyone," said the ranger with a grateful smile.

* * *

"You do know that I have never been there before, Flare," corrected Aki.

The half-elf sighed and muttered, "Too good to be true… Can you have it patrol the outskirts of the forest instead?"

"Hmm, that may work, if what you say is correct," mused the wandering elf.

"I am sure of it," assured the ranger.

After agreeing to help, the party went to help the villagers with a variety of tasks. Rushia… wasn't able to help with anything with her being a necromancer. Subaru assisted the villagers to shore up defenses. Matsuri went with another patrol to watch for the orcs. Choco helped the healers make poultices and healing salves, which surprised the locals as they didn't expect help from a tiefling. Still, they accepted her help as there were more pressing concerns.

"Very well, it is a wide place, but I believe it can work," mused Aki thoughtfully, "Very well, let's begin, shall we?"

She faced the forest and began whistling a bird's call. Soon, a little robin flew down and landed in her outstretched hand. She conversed with it for a moment, both of them whistling back and forth. She motioned to Flate, who placed a few breadcrumbs in her other hand.

Crumbling the bits a little, the druid sprinkled the crumbs over the little bird as her eyes glimmered with power and said, "Travel to the outskirts of the forest, brave little one. Search for an armored human with silver hair who may or may not be on horseback. Relay to her this. 'I come from Flare. Her home is in danger. Please send aid immediately'. Take flight, brave one, and find the one who will receive the message."

The little bird whistled, twittered, pecked at the breadcrumbs, and then flew off.

"If you are right, then your friend will get your message," announced Aki with a gentle smile.

"That lightens my burden a bit," Flare replied gladly, "So, let's see what the others are doing."

* * *

Night eventually came and everyone went to bed. However, all save Choco, who stayed up to look to the moon. A bright half-moon stared back at her. This was discovered by Subaru when she was woken up by a bit of sudden coldness. She noticed that the window was open and the tiefling was busy staring at the celestial body.

"Choco, still not sleeping?" she asked as she sat up.

Startled, the cleric smiled upon realizing the fighter had woken up and replied, "Not yet. I am just enjoying the moon… Also praying for victory against the orcs."

"Hmm, to be honest, I don't know much about orcs," she admitted, "Facing those two in the desert was the first time I fought any. Why are the villagers so afraid?"

The latter paused to stare at the moon for a moment. Then, she explained, "I do not know much myself. I don't know where they came from or how they got here. But I know this. Orcs are evil. They are savage and brutal. They raid and pillage what they want. They do things by force and through fighting. And then there are the rumors. That they take slaves. That they do unspeakable things… especially to elves. No doubt they are just going to attack this village just because they are elves."

"Hng… now I wish I never asked," muttered Subaru anxiously.

"No matter what happens, we can emerge victorious," Choco said confidently, "I've seen you survive many things, all the while in the defense of your friends. And we are all the better because of it. Don't worry too much tonight. Set aside your burdens, for they are for the waking time, not rest."

The fighter took a deep breath and replied, "I guess so. Thanks, Choco."

"Any time."

* * *

"This is bad," muttered Flare as the rest of the patrol ran inside and sealed the gate, "It seems like the orcs are here."

Most of their elven fighters were on the walls, herself included. Subaru and Matsuri were with her. They didn't have long to wait. Scores of orcs stepped out of the forest. Grey-skinned, muscular humanoids carrying greataxes and crudely made javelins. Two of them were different. One wore platemail and their weapons were of better make. The other wore an eyepatch and wore ring mail padded with red leather. The orc in heavier armor stepped to the front and faced the raiders. It started shouting guttural, harsh-sounding words at them. Then, to their horror, they brought a battered and bruised female elf. Some sort of liquid seemed to be trailing behind her,

"That bastard orc," growled Flare angrily.

"Kill her."

"What! Elder Amrynn, why-"

"She is suffering, Flare," stated the older elf, their leader, "It is evident what was done to her. If anything, she will face worse. Sparing her from it… as distasteful as it is, should be done."

Then, the anger directed against the orcs became even more palpable when two half-naked trolls suddenly rushed forward on all fours, only standing upright after getting past the tree line.

"Trolls… this is bad," muttered the tanned half-elf

"Eat," ordered the orc leader.

To Subaru's and Matsuri's horror, the trolls started ripping parts off the captured elf and ate her in front of them. It made them sick in their stomach when they heard her terrified and anguished shrieks but they managed to hold their breakfast in. The orcs merely roared in laughter and their leader shouted at the feeding trolls, "Break down those gates! More food inside!"

The two trolls roared and half-ran, half-walked straight at them.

Flare pulled Subaru aside and said, "Get down and get them ready. The gate might not hold with two trolls." She then rushed back to the walls to help fire down at the giant brutes.

Subaru quickly ran down the steps and rejoined Aki, Choco, and Rushia as well as a group of hunters. "They have trolls. We may need to fight sooner than expected," she informed them. At the same time, they could hear the gates being slammed against. Hard.

"Fire, we need a lot of fire for trolls and we don't have any," muttered the tiefling with concern. The gates were beginning to crack and splinter. A few of the archers had also died, orc javelins sticking out of their chest.

"A few of us will aid you. The rest will have to stop the orcs from entering the village. Will you manage?" asked the lead hunter.

"We can. We have to," agreed the fighter.

The gates burst open. The two trolls ran through, roaring and looking for food.

"Over here you green shits!" shouted Subaru as loud as she could with a blushing face, "Try eating something that could fight back!"

"Oh, my, what a mouth on you," teased Choco as she got ready.

"Please don't tell my parents," she muttered in return as the trolls charged straight for them.

A ball of sickly green energy flew at the nearest one, crashing into it and bathing it in necrotic energy. Choco chanted and gestured in front of her, the emblem on her shield glowing brightly. A brilliant crack appeared and sucked the second troll into it as the gangly monster was being peppered by arrows. It didn't stay that way for long as the first troll reached her and assaulted the tiefling with bites and claws. It disrupted her concentration and released the second, who attacked Subaru the same way. The fighter struck back but found difficulty in cutting through its thick skin. Meanwhile, Aki stood in the back, chanting and gesturing the darkening sky. She pointed and called a lightning bolt down, striking both trolls.

A ray of sickly green energy carved a line in the first troll's flesh, distracting it from Choco, who backed away from it and called a beam of flaming radiance from the sky. Unfortunately, it missed when the green monster somehow realized what she was doing and shifted itself out of the way. Growling, she summoned a very familiar spirit weapon that was slammed into its shoulder, tearing off its arm in the process. Much to the horror of everyone else, the limb came alive and joined the two trolls in wailing on Subaru.

"What!?" the fighter shouted as she tried to fend off the first troll and its torn-off arm, leaving herself open to being bitten in the shoulder and claws raked along her back by the second.

Another lightning bolt struck the trolls but to no avail. Another ray of green was sent and the first troll ducked under it. The distraction cost it as the spirit mace slammed the top of its head, sending it crashing to the ground. Choco then called forth the flaming radiance and seared its severed limb. Seeing the appendage become still, Subaru felt sure that it was no longer alive. However, it was too good to be true as the troll laughed at her face when the arm started wiggling again.

"What!? Not even my sacred flames!?" shouted the tiefling in disbelief.

"Argh, get off me," shouted the fighter as she slashed the first troll as she ducked under its swiping claw, its severed arm clawing her side. The second troll had stopped attacking her and was now ravaging the hunters that were trying to help them. A lightning bolt later and both the first troll and its arm stopped moving again.

Without warning, Rushia ran away towards the houses.

"Rushia!? Where are you going?" shouted Choco as she mentally commanded the spirit mace to slam down the first troll's head, causing it to topple over backward. Muttering a prayer for the fighter, she made a sign with her fingers as the emblem glowed.

"Thank's Choco," said Subaru as she glanced over to her.

"Watch out!" cried the tiefling as the troll got up again. Clamping its jaws on the fighter's shoulder, it lifted her up amidst her cries of pain. Releasing her in the air, it brought its clawed hand, slamming her onto the ground.

At the same time, the severed arm launched itself at Aki, who dodged out of the way. As she was retreating a few steps, the hand reached out and raked her legs, drawing blood. She grit her teeth and called for more lightning.

Orcish laughter was heard. The armored orc and the one-eyed orc had gotten past the fighting at the gate and were now coming in to help the trolls. Undaunted, Choco sang out, her healing words knitting Subaru together and bringing her back. The troll that downed her, realizing what a healer is, charged straight at her but its attacks met her shield. The severed limb lunged at her but she moved out of the way.

The one-eyed orc pointed at the remaining elf hunter and shouted, "Grovel before me, worm!"

"Never!" he shouted defiantly, even as he stood there bleeding from the second troll's claws.

With a cry, Subaru got up and swung the sword through the first troll's chest, downing it again. She didn't have time to breathe easy, as a javelin struck her in the back, courtesy of the armored orc.

Another lightning bolt struck the ground, electrocuting the troll and its severed arm, which stopped moving again. "This is getting a little tiresome, these trolls," stated the druid, pretty much saying what's on everyone's mind.

To the surprise of the part, Rushia returned with two jars and a lit torch, running over to stand behind Subaru. Choco didn't spend that much time thinking about this, hurrying over to the fighter to heal him while sending the spirit mace to attack the armored orc. The troll then got to its feet and continued to attack the tiefling, its teeth biting into her arm and breaking her thoughts on the fighter's blessing. She smacked its head with her shield and bat away the incoming claws with her mace as the severed arm crawled over to her. Meanwhile, the second troll finished off the elf hunter and rejoined its brethren. She also had to duck out of the way when the one-eyed orc gestured and sent a spirit spear to where her leg was.

Rejuvenated by the healing, Subaru struck back, slicing the first troll's throat open and making it die… again. She then had to jump back as the armored orc charged down at her, swinging its greataxe twice and missing.

After another lightning bolt struck the trolls, Rushia tossed the jars on the trolls, covering them with a slick, oily substance. She waved her torch in front of her as if aiming to burn them just as the first troll woke up and got to its feet. Seeing this, both trolls howled and started running away.

"Stupid trolls! What are you doing!?" roared the armored orc. However, instead of a reply, it got a faceful of radiant light and a spirit mace to the top of the head. Choco had a vindictive smile on her face as it keeled over dead.

Feeling emboldened by what happened, Subaru slashed the severed hand that got left behind, making it flop over and stop moving. Again.

"Damn it all! We will destroy you and give your hearts to Gruumsh," roared the one-eyed orc angrily.

"Wasshoi!" shouted Matsuri as she and Flare raced towards them to help, drawing the orc's attention. The guide's shot went wide but the half-elf muttered something as she drew her longbow. Her arrow flew true and buried itself above the center of its chest.

It roared out in pain. It roared even louder when lightning fell upon him. It's dried out husk toppled over and died when Rushia launched another ball of sickly green energy that splashed on him. She seemed a little more energized after that. Even more so when Choco started praying and a green glow washed over Subaru and the young necromancer.

Suddenly, the fleeing trolls stopped and sniffed themselves.

"Aw, not this again," moaned the fighter as the trolls roared, turned around, and ran straight back. The first troll didn't attack but it picked up its wiggling arm and reattached it like it was never torn off in the first place.

The party attacked first, sending spells, blades, and arrows into the two. The first one dropped but everyone knew it was just going to rise up again. Then, a loud horn sounded, coming from the forest. A great yell was heard and Flare became ecstatic.

"She made it!" she cried out joyfully, drawing everyone's attention.

Armored knights came out of the treeline to help the elf hunters that were in the melee. A silver-haired lady walked past the gate with a very stern expression on her face. She wore a well-made set of half plate and armed with a shield and mace.

"Rushia, watch out!" yelled Subaru as she tried her best to get between the girl and the trolls but to no avail. The downed one had gotten up and both wailed on them with teeth and claws.

"I will smite you with holy fire! Ignite!" she yelled as she ran towards them, raising her mace that lit up in flames.

Galvanized by her battlecry, the party was able to down one troll and injure the other badly, with Rushia putting a curse on it. The first troll recovered and its frenzied wailings were easily met with Subaru's shield while the curse on the other caused it to miss everything when attacking the young necromancer. The armored lady reached them and slammed her mace into the leg of the first troll, forcing it down to its knee. She then smashed its face in, its gurgling cries of fear getting muffled as it fell over, finally dead.

Subaru then stabbed the other troll in the knee. As it staggered, Matsuri sent an arrow into its head, finally dropping it for the first time. Despite it being down, after seeing the first troll getting up so many times, they were very wary of the second troll. True enough, it got up again and tried to attack the fighter. Before it could even lift a claw, the armored lady immediately slammed her mace on its head. Twice.

She muttered the word 'ignite', extinguishing the flames. "Irredeemable filth," she muttered softly.

"Noel!"

The knight turned around and found Flare flying into her arms. They hugged tightly.

"I am back, _salen_ Flare," stated the knight with a smile.

"Welcome back, _salen aestar_ ," muttered the tanned half-elf as she loosened her hold, staring into her eyes.

"...now I wish I had a fire sword," mumbled Subaru.

Choco chuckled and whispered, "Maybe you might get one as a reward."

"Maybe..." trailed off the fighter.

"Hey, you guys alright?" asked Matsuri after jogging over.

"We survived," started Aki, who then turned to Rushia, "What was in those jars?"

"Ah… water," the young necromancer stated.

"Eh? How did trolls get scared by water?" asked the tiefling, voicing the question on the party's mind.

"Prestidigitation," she explained, "Make it feel like lamp oil."

"Ah, so that's why they turned back to attack after smelling it," realized Subaru, "It only felt like oil, but didn't smell like it."

"Woah, this awesome cutie," exclaimed Matsuri as she suddenly started hugging and pulling the young girl's cheeks. A second later, she was surrounded by the chuckling party as she fell over backward, a ghostly, skeletal hand slapped onto her face.

**AN: Hello, readers. The orcs are coming! The orcs are here! They also have trolls! Annoying bastards that won't stay down. And when I realized that Sacred Flame radiant damage doesn't really count as fire damage, I was kinda worried. In the middle of simulating this battle and the trolls. Just. Won't. Stay. Down. Even if Rushia tricked them, it didn't fool them for long. So, I gave the reinforcements a flame weapon.**

**The calvary's here! Led by Flare's knight in shining armor, Noel.**

Noel Shirogane

Human Paladin/Fighter multiclass

Oath of Redemption/Protection and Defence fighting styles

**In making her stat sheet, I had fun with her bio. She meets Flare when she goes into the wrong house. Her traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws... all mention Flare one way or another. Fun times.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we have a new city, new spells, new people. And... a pirate.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

_Thank goodness those knights arrived. According to Noel, the raiding party had more reinforcements in the forest, which the knights took out quickly. If the reinforcements came in, it would have overwhelmed the defenders. There were so many injured after the battle. Thankfully, with the Choco's and Aki's healing along with the medicines prepared the previous day, the majority of the injured were in pretty good health._

_The elder was quite grateful for our help, mentioning how he was glad for the alliance between them and the nearby city. Flare and Noel looked quite happy with that. The elder then invited us to choose our rewards. I'll admit, I had been waiting eagerly for it. I immediately went to trade out my armor and shield for better ones, as did Choco and Matsuri. Aki refused any reward as she preferred to travel light, not to mention she wanted to stay here a bit longer before heading off her own way. Rushia, after some thought, took the gold reward instead. I wonder why though..._

* * *

"Subaru, can we go back to the city?" asked Rushia.

They were back at Flare's house after taking their rewards. The others were busy packing their things, except Aki, while Flare and Noel sat silently at the dining table. One by one they came out and waited in the living room. It was then the young necromancer asked her question.

"Why? Do you need to buy anything?" asked the fighter.

She nodded, "I need more ink. More spells to learn."

"Oh, I guess we should then. It may take some time, but we can reach the capital-"

"Port Viridis is near here," interjected Noel suddenly, "It is large enough to rival Huan Tuo. I'm sure you can find the kind of ink you need for your learning needs."

"If it's nearer… I guess..." trailed off Subaru.

"Yes!" agreed Rushia immediately, her eyes shining with eagerness.

Choco chuckled, "I suppose the choice is made."

"Ha, ha, cute," quipped Matsuri.

Flare and Aki chuckled along, the former saying, "Ah, our time is short. I had hoped you would stay longer, _salen aestar_."

"Maybe tomorrow, I shall," said the knight as she squeezed the half-elf's hand before getting up, "For now, duty calls… I'll be going now."

"Stay safe," replied the former, letting go of her hand.

"Alright, follow me," Noel told the party as she led the way out of the house, "We need to send the other knights back to Fort Valia before I escort you to the port town. Not to worry. It is not too far from the fort."

* * *

True to her word, as soon as they left the forest, they headed straight for the fort. It took a while and they reached there at dusk.

"You four, follow me," Noel ordered as they neared a crossroads, one leading to the town and the other to the fort, "Sergeant Daro, take the rest of the men back to the fort."

"Yes, captain!"

With that, the formation split off and the knight and her four men rode straight for the city. The guards at the city gate saluted as soon as they arrived.

"Here we are. Port Viridis," she declared to the party as they dismounted from the horses, "Safe journey, Miss Subaru."

"Yes, captain," replied the fighter, giving a salute of her own. This got a smile out of the knight. She gave them a brief way of goodbye before riding off with her men.

"Well, let's find an inn for the night. I'm sure we could use a good rest," stated Choco.

"I want to share a room with Rushia," quipped Matsuri.

"No," the young necromancer said immediately.

"Aww, please?" pleaded the scout.

"...No."

* * *

_We got directions from the guards to the nearest inn. It was a modest building with a friendly innkeeper. I shared a room with Rushia while Matsuri went with Choco. Matsuri looked quite disappointed. Well, she shouldn't have teased Rushia so much. We settled in for the night and slept soundly until the next morning light._

_By the time I woke up, it was mid-morning. I missed breakfast… I don't think I've ever missed breakfast. I must have been really tired. Then again… fighting trolls… urgh. Now I really want a fire weapon. But… I bet it's gonna be very, very, very expensive. Unless we come by a windfall… not much of a chance to buy one here, much less commissioning one. Looking over to the side, I see Rushia busy looking through her stepfather's spellbook again. At least I'll know where she'll be for the rest of the day, barring meals. Getting ready for the day, I decided to explore the city._

* * *

"Aww, why do you need to drag me along..." complained Matsuri.

"I don't want you disturbing Rushia," Subaru replied simply, "She's busy with spellcasting things."

"Hng, fine. Dragging me around here better be worth it," muttered the swamp guide dejectedly as she accepted the explanation.

True to Noel's description, it was similar to Huan Tuo. Only, the market was a bit smaller. The city has less of a reliance on trading for food as there are farming communities in relative distance. Trade focussed mostly on mined ores and spices, the more valuable items. But because of the more lucrative trade, the ships heading to this city are more vulnerable to pirate attacks. Thus, they could see several large cannons facing the sea as well as a small fleet of naval ships.

"Interesting place, isn't it?" asked the fighter.

The other only made tired noises.

"I know the place is mostly full of spice shops but you have to admit the-" she continued but she was grabbed by the shoulders by a lady in red clothes and an eyepatch over her right eye. "Erm, yes? Do I know you?" she asked in confusion.

She stared at her for a while and finally said, "Help me!" Then, a very loud growl came from her stomach. She then curled up into a ball and pleaded, "Please… help me..."

The two party members looked at each other for a moment. Shrugging, Subaru decided to bring her to the nearest tavern to eat. According to her, she hadn't been eating for a day. Thus, the wolfing down of the food in front of her.

"My name is Marine," she explained in between bites, "I used to be a captain on a ship. A few days ago, my ship was attacked by pirates. The Red Sash Corsairs. Damned pirates took all my stuff and scuttled the ship. I want your help to get back at them."

"Hmm," sounded the fighter, feeling something was slightly off but decidedly brushed it off, "I guess we could..."

Marine gave them a great, big grin and exclaimed eagerly, "Nice! I know where they are. We can hit them now."

"Er… we should ask the others first..." said Subaru hesitantly.

"There are others?" the 'captain' repeated excitedly, "Yes, please ask them. I shall be waiting at the docks tonight. Don't be late!"

"Hey, wait..." started the fighter but she ran out of the tavern.

"So... are we helping her?" Matsuri finally spoke up.

"I guess... so?" she replied with a questioning tone, "We'll have to ask Rushia and Choco about this. Let's go."

* * *

After informing the others, they agreed to help the 'captain', even if Subaru felt a little suspicious. So, they agreed to be cautious due to that, even though they will help.

"Ahoy!" greeted Marine with the utmost gratefulness, "Thank you for coming to help. Please, follow me!"

She led them to a rather… big boat. With a single sail. And four oars.

" _What_..." asked the whole party in their heads.

"Ah, yes… this is all I could afford," she admitted with a smile, "But! We need to be rather sneaky. We just need to ride this along the coast. Then, we rest a bit before we get into their base."

"Will this... really work..." asked Subaru in disbelief, pointing at the boat while looking at her.

"Of course it would!" she assured them, "As long as we hug the coast, we would be there in no time. Trust me!"

* * *

It happened just as she said it would. Marine guided the boat down the coast. Rushia had never paddled before so she had to take over. Still, they eventually saw the pirate base, its perimeter lit by lanterns. Subaru's suspicions rose a little, wondering how she knew where the base was. After dragging the boat up the beach and hiding it in the tall grass, they slept the rest of the night away. They woke up at the rising sun, ready for whatever the pirates would throw at them.

"So, they are using an abandoned fort," she informed them, "So, that means a big gate entrance and crumbling walls." Glancing over to the party, she mused aloud, "Hmm, not much on sneaking but… it's enough. Anyway, their captain would likely be on their ship in his quarters, planning their next attack. Everyone else would be lazing about doing one thing or another."

"Just how do you know so much about this?" questioned Subaru with a frown.

Marine just smiled and replied, "I scouted out their lair before going to town to look for help. I'm not one of those scallywags, you know. Now, I found a secret tunnel inside. It used to be an escape route in case the fort got overrun. It leads up to the underground cellar, so it's only a flight of stairs up. A door leads to the courtyard of the fort, where they laze about, of course. Since they have the back of the fort to the sea, they have a stone and wood pier that leads to a wooden harbor where a ship could dock."

"Again, you know a bit too much for just a captain," repeated the fighter.

"Ha, ha, I know you like me, but now is not the time to lure me in," the 'captain' teased, causing her to sputter for a reply, "Right, you lot can go through the cellar. I am going to the ship."

"Wait, why are you going for the ship?" asked Matsuri in surprise.

"When you lot start attacking them, I'm going for the pirate captain," she declared as she thumbed towards herself, "That scallywag won't see it coming."

"Hmm, with everyone's attention drawn, you mean," mused Choco with narrowed eyes, "Are you using us as a distraction?"

"Well, I'm taking on the pirate captain. On his pirate ship. That has cannons. With cannonballs. Do you see where I'm sailing here?" questioned Marine with a smug undertone.

"I guess that makes sense..." muttered Subaru as she scratched the back of her head, "Having cannonballs raining on us while we fight the pirates doesn't sound good."

"See? Not to worry! When I take care of the captain, we can use the cannons on them," the 'captain' declared with a grin.

"...Alright, we'll follow your plan then," the fighter finally agreed, "Lead the way Captain Marine." Turning to the party, she said, "Let's go."

* * *

They had very little problem finding the tunnel and making their way to the fort cellar. They had some difficulty pushing up the trapdoor but with Subaru and Choco pushing against it, they forced it open. Thankfully, it was just a piece of rubble as they soon found out, the pirates stored a few barrels of gunpowder here.

"This is dangerous," warned Choco, "This is used to fire the cannons on their ship."

"Can we use this against them?" asked Subaru as she looked over one of the barrels.

"I don't see how we can drag this all the way up there," said Matsuri.

"That's too bad… alright let's go up and look around," the fighter decided.

Quietly they walked up the stone steps and slowly opened the cellar door. The room looked like a kitchen. It seemed to have been used recently, as evident from the food stains. Creeping to the door and opening it to peek outside. Four pirates were sitting around a table, playing cards in the courtyard. A few more were either loitering around or sleeping on crates.

"There aren't that many here," whispered Subaru.

"The fort is mostly intact, so there might be more in other rooms," reminded Choco.

"Maybe we try and sneak around to another room and-" the fighter started to reply when the door was suddenly pulled open. A pirate in a very dirty apron stared at them for a moment before turning around to run, shouting, "Intruders! Wake up you lazy lot! Intruders!"

"So much for surprising them," the tiefling grumbled as they drew their weapons.

* * *

After Marine led them to the tunnel, she immediately headed to the sea. Oh, the sea. The salty embrace of this wonderful goddess. She held her rapier in her mouth and dived in. She swam with ease up to the ship as the sea was calm on that sunny day. The pirates seemed to be getting careless as someone left the rope ladder out. She climbed up with ease and familiarity. Stepping on the deck, she sighed a little as she re-tied her rapier to her belt.

Then, a pirate ran up the gangplank, shouting, "Captain! Intruders! Captain- eh? Captain?"

"Just what are yer shouting about- you!" muttered the pirate captain as he came out of his quarters and caught sight of her.

"Ahoy, Sourpuss. You don't look so good," taunted Marine as she drew her weapon, "How's the ship treatin' ya?"

"I should 'ave tied ya to a cannonball and dropped ya," he roared angrily as he fumbled to draw his scimitar and dagger.

"You there," she said as she pointed at the other pirate, "You sit back and watch as I kick this guy's ass. Then, you're gonna help me, alright? I'll make ya my First Mate."

"Shaddap!" shouted the pirate captain, as he lunged forward, "Yer ain't pickin' my crew and yer sure ain't takin' back this here ship!"

"Ha!" she retorted as she parried both blades with ease, "This is MY SHIP! Scallywag like you is gonna see the bottom of the sea soon enough! Have at it!"

* * *

Choco and Rushia took the chance to cast a spell, quickly taking out one of the pirates. Then, everyone ran to take cover behind the pillars. Just in time too, as the shouting pirates quickly unloaded their crossbows on them in retaliation. A few clinked against Subaru's armor but she paid no mind to them. However, since the cook sounded the alarm, several more pirates came out of the rooms around the fort.

"Get them!" shouted the chef as he ran at them with another pirate.

"Eh!" exclaimed Matsuri as she shouldered her longbow and drew her rapier.

"I got you," shouted Subaru as she ran over to assist her. She slashed the pirate in the leg and stabbed the chef in the side when his scimitar slammed into the guide's armor, pushing her out of cover temporarily. Three bolts immediately slammed into her side, leg, and shoulder.

Matsuri was able to power through and much to the fighter's awe, lunged forward, slashing the pirate in the throat and in one smooth motion impaled her point in the cook's throat. "Woah,' she sounded.

"I'll take my admiration later," the former replied with a grin as she hooked the rapier on her belt as to not dirty her sheath and unshouldered her bow.

"Right!" the fighter shouted in appreciation as she decided to advance on the group of pirates on the far side of the fort. However, a large explosion drew her attention. "Choco!? Rushia!?" she called out and she held off the bolts with her shield.

"Gah, we're still fine," she heard Choco yell back, "They have a damned mage!" Glancing over in their direction, she noticed some splintered crates burning and the two hiding behind their own pillars.

"Damn you first," one of the pirates shouted back, presumably the mage.

Subaru ignored him. She reached another group of crates and took cover for a moment to assess the situation. She grimaced when the mage suddenly appeared from a sudden appearance of mist and threw a fireball at the pillars the two took cover behind. It dropped exactly between the pillars, the resulting eruption bathing them in flames.

She growled angrily. She wanted so bad to run across the courtyard and run that mage through. Suddenly, a barrel bounced over and slammed into a rectangular crate on the pier. It split and burst open, revealing a dripping pirate captain sputtering in disbelief. Everyone looked to the ship docked there. The gangplank was pulled up and at the starboard entrance stood Marine with an ear-splitting grin.

"Ahoy, traitors! I'm back! Who wants some cannonballs!?"

**AN: Hello, readers. Today, our captain Noel escorts our adventuring party to a new port city. Where they have some time away from adventuring. Unfortunately, they do not have long before an adventure seeks them out. They don't know this person... but we do.**

**Here is the lewdness of the day. Marine.**

Marine Houshou

Human Rogue/Fighter dip

Swashbuckler with Mariner (of course)

**So, she successfully tricked our party into helping her get her ship back. I am pretty sure she enjoyed the water dripping off her...** (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we have cannonballs galore.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

_I am… wow. she just stood there like some conquering hero. And declaring herself captain of the ship. Hi, hi, simply amazing… Although, she called them traitors… Is she actually a pirate too? I don't like the sound of that_ …

* * *

"Damn you! We'll settle these then come for you!" shouted the captain at Marine.

"You can try, Sourpuss," she retorted.

Subaru sighed and shook her head, instead deciding to focus on staying alive instead. She went around the crates and continued advancing.

"Fire in the hole!"

A loud boom later and the pirates near the card table had their bodies decimated before the cannonball crashed into the crate in front of her.

" _Okay… she's still siding with us_ ," she mused in her mind, relieved as she neared the broken crate. Her ring glowed as she swung as if throwing a punch. A spectral ram's head appeared and slammed into the nearest pirate's head, knocking him back a little.

"Here's another one!"

Another loud boom and the rest of the crates in front of the fighter exploded into splinters as the cannonball destroyed the pirates taking cover there. That included the one that she knocked back. It sent some uneasiness through her when she glanced over the remaining body parts, but she turned away from it and scanned the area. So far, the pirate captain had moved in to throw daggers at Rushia. The mage was nowhere to be seen.

" _Where did he go_?" she wondered inwardly as she rushed over to help the young necromancer. Suddenly, she got peppered by several glowing dart-like things that disappeared on impact, prompting a yell of pain.

"And another one!"

Marine's shot went wide, destroying the table behind him instead. Turning to where the mage was, she instead changed targets and charged the mage. She still remembered how destructive a fireball was and wanted to take out the mage immediately.

It was an unexpected turn when the mage chanted and extended his hands in front of him. Subaru suddenly found herself blasted with freezing cold air that seemed to reach even her bones. Her steps faltered and slowed, the sudden drop in temperature staggering her greatly. She could feel everything slowing down as she stumbled forward, trying to reach the mage before it was too late. It unfortunately was as her movements ground to a halt and the cone of cold froze the air around her body.

* * *

"Rushia!" shouted Choco as the captain pulled out his dagger from the young necromancer's stomach.

He wasn't looking too good either. Part of his arm rotted away from necrotic energy. An arrow in the shoulder and an arrow in the chest. How he was still able to move to take down Rushia was unbelievable. Mentally commanding the spirit mace to attack, she chanted and threw a bolt of light in his face. He roared in pain and started to run away. He yelled again when Matsuri's arrow became lodged in his thigh.

"Lors, take care of them!" he shouted to the mage.

"Aye, cap-."

"Bye-bye, Sourpuss!"

The cannonball ripped through his head like a melon getting smashed. The mage was still in a shock when a bolt of light and two arrows slammed into his chest.

"Don't die on me now..." murmured Choco as she knelt down next to Rushia and cured her wounds. She then ran over to Subaru, chanting a healing word and infusing the fighter with renewed life.

"Matsuri, help me free her," called over the tiefling. Together, they pushed the statue over and it shattered to pieces. The shivering girl curled up into a ball. Choco took off her cloak and wrapped it around her. Slowly, she warmed up.

Meanwhile, the ship slowly turned around, much more slowly than normal. When Subaru was able to get to her feet, the tiefling helped her to her feet and guided her to the pier. At the edge, she called out to Marine, "Hey, did you trick us?"

The new pirate captain appeared over the stern and replied, "Aye, I did. Sorry, not sorry. I had to do what I had to do."

The fighter sneezed and asked, "Why?"

"Would you willingly help a pirate like little ol' me?" Marine asked as she posed and batted her eyelashes.

"...No..." she conceded, "I… guess not."

"Anyway, thanks for getting my ship back," she replied gratefully while waving at them as the sails were unfurled, picking up speed, "If you find yourself on my ship, I'll show you a good time. Seeya!"

Wordlessly, they watched as the ship sailed away. The fighter sighed and said, "Alright… I think we should search the place. We might be able to find some stuff to make the trip here worthwhile."

* * *

After making the fighter sit outside in the sun, the other three went searching. True enough, they did find some valuables. A few spell scrolls in the mage's room. The pirate rooms didn't hold anything valuable but they found in a better-furnished room a small chest. This was assumed to be the pirate captain's room. In the chest were two bags, one with gold and silver pieces and the other with gems. Jackpot. They carried the bags outside and paused to count the pieces. Two hundred pieces of both kinds. Neat.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Matsuri after returning the pieces to the bag, "Do we walk back to the city or take the boat?"

"I… don't know..." admitted Subaru with a furrowed brow, "Walk back? I don't think Marine guided us that far off."

"I'd rather walk. Not after what happened," Choco muttered, "Plus, what if we handle the boat wrongly and we end up too far away from the coast. None of us has experience with handling a boat after all."

"I guess that's true..." mused the fighter. After thinking for a moment, she decided, "Alright, we walk along the coast. We should be able to reach the city in no time if we follow the shoreline."

The others agreed and they began their trek back to the city. It was uneventful, save for Rushia pausing to watch a pod of dolphins frolicking in the waves off the shore. Watching her clap and jump at their antics brought a smile to their faces.

They reached the city late in the evening, tired but relieved to have reached there.

"Subaru, can we stay here for a while?" asked Rushia suddenly.

"Huh? Why?" asked the fighter, a little surprised.

"I am guessing those spell scrolls we found," surmised Choco, prompting the young girl to nod eagerly.

"...I guess we could," she mused after a moment, "We could use that time to try and sell off the loot."

"Good idea!" exclaimed Matsuri, "We should go back to the inn we stayed at. Their spicy fruit juice is very tasty."

* * *

_A break in the fighting? I don't mind it. I was a little surprised that it was Rushia that requested it. Although, I should have expected it. Oh well, a chance to do other stuff. While she spent most of her time in her room, I did two things. One, asked Choco to help me with finding gem shops to sell the loot. Over four days, we sold off the gems. I even learned how to haggle from her. The scrolls we kept for Rushia to use. Two, after chatting with Matsuri and finding out she knew how to speak many languages, I asked her to help me dwarvish and draconic, the same way Aqua helped me with elvish and Shion with some draconic all those weeks ago. I'd like to say I'm good enough with them but I have a feeling I still have a long way to go to become fluent in those languages. I know enough to carry a shaky conversation but I think it could be better. I just need to practice more. Hi, hi._

* * *

"Are we ready to go?" asked Subaru. The last four days had been well used, in her opinion.

Rushia nodded with a cute smile.

"We are. So, which direction shall we head in, fearless leader?" asked Choco in a teasing tone.

"To the west, back to the capital," stated the fighter, who then mused, "I wonder how our friends are doing..."

"Ah, cat lady," muttered the young necromancer.

"Hi, hi, yup, the cat lady," she agreed.

"I'd like to meet them," quipped Matsuri.

"I'm sure you'd like them. Just… don't ask her friend about fingers… or don't mention fingers at all," she warned, shuddering at the thought.

"Eh?"

"Please don't remind me..." muttered the tiefling as she face-palmed.

"Sorry, sorry," she apologized with a sheepish grin.

Eventually, they started walking, following the dirt road east. After a while, the forest came up again. Glad to see a familiar place, they continued on their way. Subaru assumed that the woods on the right side of the road was part of the forest surrounding the elven village. It made her wonder where the forest on her left led to.

"Wait, something isn't right," Choco said suddenly, causing everyone to stop walking.

"What's wrong, Choco?" asked the fighter.

"I thought I saw something moving ahead," the tiefling told them, "I don't know if it was my imagination or not, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"No worries, I'll scout it out," offered Matsuri as she dumped her backpack and raced into the woods.

"I just hope she doesn't get into trouble..." muttered Subaru with concern.

"She was skilled enough to get us through the swamp, she should be able to do this easily," assured Choco.

They waited… and waited… and she ran out of the woods with a worried look and said, "Kobolds. Lots of them."

"Kobolds?"

"Erm, think a very short lizard man with red skin," explained the tiefling in the simplest terms.

"Ah… so… what are they doing?" asked the fighter.

"They have been there for quite some time," the scout informed them, "It looked like they were waiting to ambush something. I overheard some of them yipping about some god-like thing in black scales and how he'd be pleased with their help."

"That… doesn't sound good," she said worriedly.

"Then, let's get the drop on them instead," suggested the tiefling with a grin.

"Hmm...how many kobolds are there, Matsuri?" she asked as she thought over it.

"Ah, right. There were around thirty-plus of them..."

"...That's a lot," she admitted, inwardly aghast at the numbers.

"Two of them were weird though. They were carrying all sorts of stuff on them. I think I spotted a flask of acid or two," added the scout.

"Urgh, now I have flashbacks," she groaned. Ankhegs and dragons come to mind. Her armor and shield had really close calls against them.

"Look... let's just go and sneak up on them," urged Matsuri assuringly, "They will never expect us to ambush them instead of the other way around."

Eventually, they got a hold of themselves and ventured in the woods. Slowly, they neared the kobold ambush. As Matsuri said, they could hear yipping the nearer they drew. What they didn't expect was growling sounds coming further back. They halted.

"What's that sound?" whispered Subaru.

"Crap… they weren't there when I scouted around earlier," murmured the scout, "Giant weasels. They have a good sense of smell. I hope they don't..."

Suddenly, the growling stopped and consequently, so did the yipping.

"...they found us..."

Several shrill squeals came from where the growls were originally coming from.

Matsuri was already shooting her arrows, her sharp eyes spotting the leader of this ambush. Her arrows found the scale sorcerer's chest but it refused to fall and it took cover behind a tree. Choco started praying and their weapons gained a shimmering glow. Another kobold fell, arrows in its chest and throat. They still surged forward. Rushia took out a scroll and cast the spell contained in it. Several kobolds started shrieking and falling over with blood gushing out of their ears when a loud ringing noise erupted among them.

Nearer they came and Subaru surged from behind her tree straight into melee, cutting down two at a time. At the same time, she started getting pelted with arrows. The scout wanted to support her but kobolds riding giant weasels burst out of the underbrush and headed straight for her.

"This way!" shouted Choco. She ushered the scout behind her as the spiritual weapon materialized and slammed into the first kobold she saw. It flew off the weasel, which scurried forward, causing the sacred flames to miss. A blazing sphere slammed into the tree next to her, scorching the bark with flame. She held her position and presented herself as the only target. The riders came and with Matsuri shooting at them behind her, she held them off with maces both real and spectral.

Rushia was busy trying to find a spot where she could see the most kobolds in her sight when she caught a rider's attention. A ray of sickly green lanced through the weasel and she followed with summoned skeletal hands on the kobold's skull. A pebble slammed into her hand. It stung a bit but the scale sorcerer stepped into view with three floating orbs that shot fire at her. The scorching rays burned her arms and body as it lanced over her. It then started yipping and another rider rode straight for her. She gathered her power in her hand and threw it at the kobold, bathing it and the weasel in necromantic energy. Life was sapped out of them and reabsorbed into her, taking away the pain and restoring her health. She then ran towards the copse of trees that Choco and Matsuri were using, another rider chasing after her.

"Are you okay, Rushia?" asked Matsuri as the young necromancer ran past. She then shouted in surprise as the rider came in and got blasted by necromantic energies. She shuddered as both collapsed and dried up as the energy flowed back into its caster.

"Argh, that's the last of them," groaned Choco as she ran back into the copse and leaned against a tree.

"Alright, leave the rest to us," declared the scout as she and Rushia went out to help Subaru.

The tiefling grinned as she chanted a healing spell and most of the bite marks and deep spear gouges healed up. "Alright, then. Let's mop them up," she stated, agreeing with the scout's sentiment.

* * *

Subaru shouted as she cleaved through the kobolds. Her body was bruised. Her sword hand and head were bloodied due to lucky shots as she waded through the constant shower of small pebbles being slung at her. They were painful, yes, but she had felt it all before. She hoped by keeping herself visible, she could draw most of the attention away from the others.

" _An unending wave_ ," she thought to herself as she chased down those pebble-slingers, " _So many of them._ "

Soon, it was like everywhere she turned were dead kobolds. The din of yips now became scared shouts and scrambling claws. Running past the trees, she saw the kobolds trying to run away. With a yell, she punched, aiming at one of them. A spectral ram's head slammed into the kobold's head and knocked it over. It lay on the ground unmoving, its neck at an odd angle. At the same time, a spectral, skeletal hand grabbed another, jerking it back and snapping its neck. The third had two arrows shot into its back.

"Right, that's all of them," Matsuri declared. The fighter breathed a sigh of relief as she cleaned and sheathed her sword. That was a bit too drawn out. Now, everything was aching and sore.

"Is there a village nearby?" she asked as the others joined them.

"Niji Village is the nearest… well, the only one near," informed Choco, "We should be able to reach there soon if we hurry and nothing else stops us along the way."

"Alright, let's get out of the forest and hurry to the village. I don't want to sleep outside if it means fighting more of these kobolds," Subaru declared with everyone else agreeing.

**AN: Hello, readers. So! Marine. She pretty much took over. She is stuck managing the ship with one first mate, but she escapes, considering the condition of Subaru's party. They did, however, get some treasure. Which enabled them to spend more time in the port city and let Subaru learn some new things and improve current ones.**

**And then the kobolds. Kobolds... kobolds everywhere. The ambushers get ambushed themselves. Not the most exciting or rewarding of things, but we add a little more mystery that has yet to be solved. They may not think much of it, but I do have something planned in the background. Not yet.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we travel back to the capital.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

_That ambush was very strange. Who was that god-like being in black scales Matsuri overheard them talking about? Did he ask them to do this? Why? So many questions but no answers. I decided to put those aside for the time being and focus on getting to the village. Yet… we didn't make it in time and night fell. Thankfully, we had torches and we reached the village in the dead of night. Although, when we reached the village, things got really strange_ …

* * *

"Erm, can you direct us to the inn, please?" asked Subaru warily. After getting directions from the guard, the party headed there immediately. At the inn, she got rooms for them. Then she asked, "Umm, if you don't mind me asking, why do you look like… well, a wolf? I mean… more wolf than most people. Even one of the guards looked like you."

The werewolf innkeeper giggled and replied, "Well, three of the families here have a generational curse of sorts… or a blessing, depending on who you're asking. We gain the ability to morph into different animals when we become old enough to work for our keep. We get along well enough with the other folk that they don't get bothered by us. Outsiders though, have a harder time getting used to this since we tend to stay in the forms most comfortable to us."

"I think this is the first time I heard of this," admitted Choco, "Then again, I don't recall coming here before. I usually take the other route."

"That's normal for us," she replied with a wolfy grin, "We've pretty much gotten used to this." Then, she kind of frowned when she continued, "I do warn you though, some of the younger ones are a lot more rowdy than normal, so please don't mind them. Roughhousing is normal for them."

"Don't worry. We'll keep that in mind," assured the fighter with a smile. After settling their meal arrangements for the morning, they retired to their rooms.

However, when morning came, they were drawn into an uproar. They had just visited the blacksmith about repairing their gear and just sat down to have breakfast. Suddenly, a lot of shouting was being heard outside the inn.

"What's going on outside?" asked Matsuri as she ate her fresh buttered bread.

"No idea. We can ask about it later," replied Subaru, also curious as to what was happening.

The door to the inn opened and a man peered in. He had orange streaks in a pattern on his face. "Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"No worries," replied the innkeeper, who then questioned, "What was happening?"

He grunted as he came inside. Noticing the party, his brow furrowed and he continued his conversation in hushed tones. Subaru recognized the clothes he was wearing. The village's guard uniform. To her, it looked like a guard coming in to warn a citizen about something. She got up from her seat and went over to them. "Is there anything we can help with, sir?" she asked politely.

He glanced and looked over her. Harrumphing loudly, he turned to her and asked, "Help? Are you mercenaries?"

"Er, not really. We are just adventurers," she replied.

"Hn, adventurers," he snorted, sounding derisive, "Mercs with a different name"

"Come on, don't be rude, Baelar," chided the innkeeper, "Give them a chance."

He harrumphed and muttered under his breath for a moment. Then, he said, "We just kicked out a couple of people for excessive troublemaking."

"What sort of troublemaking?"

"Hn, the hotheads tried invading someone's home," he informed her, "After catching and trying them, they have been exiled and kicked out from the village."

"They aren't allowed back in? That's harsh," the fighter commented. She never heard of such a ruling before.

The guard slammed his fist on the counter, "Listen here, 'adventurer'," he growled as he pointed a finger at her, "The families worked hard to keep the peace with the other races staying here. I and many others are not about to toss all that away with the actions of some upstarts."

"Baelar!" shouted the innkeeper. The guard grunted and stormed out of the inn. "I'm sorry you had to see that," she tried to apologize, "He and several others have a lot on their shoulders. Whatever the criminals did, it didn't help with the situation."

"I understand," Subaru replied, "No worries. At least we know what happened just now." With that, she returned to her table and informed everyone about the news.

"Will we have to keep an eye out on this?" asked Choco worriedly.

"Probably. If they are desperate enough, they might become bandits," reasoned the fighter.

"This will get annoying if we have to encounter them on the road," the tiefling muttered.

"We'll just have to beat them then," chipped in Matsuri.

Somehow, Subaru felt things won't be as easy as the scout made it out to be.

* * *

They hired a cart to the capital at the stables. Subaru decided to pay the driver a little extra, figuring that things might get a little hairy when they leave. The driver's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when she placed a gold piece in his hand. He thanked her profusely when she explained why.

"Rather nice of you," commented Choco when the cart started moving.

"Well, like I said, it could be dangerous," said the fighter with a grin, "Until then, we just need to stay calm and carry on."

The cart went at a reasonable pace northward. During the journey, she asked the driver about the roads of the place, which he was happy to converse about. The road they were on was one of the well-traveled ones and one of the paths that circle around the swamp. Suddenly, they heard cries for help up ahead.

"Faster, someone needs our help," she urged, pointing up ahead.

"Right… hope you know what you're doing," muttered the driver as he whipped the horses onward. Everyone else got ready to jump out and help.

A group of caravans loomed into view. Several dead boars and wolves were on the roadside. Shouts and cries for help got louder.

"Stop the cart," ordered Subaru. Turning to the others, "Let's go help."

Jumping out of the cart, the whole team ran ahead the moment she shouted, "Charge!"

Several werewolves and wereboars suddenly appeared and ran off into the woods. Apparently the shout worked. One lycan got shot down, several crossbow bolts burrowing into its back. However, a wereboar and a werewolf stopped to look around.

"Get back here!" the lycan shouted, "Those aren't guards!"

Nobody came back.

"Get them!" roared wereboar, "We can at least take them."

Loud squeals and barks came from them. Then, they charged to meet them as a few remaining wolves and boars ran up to assist them. Choco quickly called down her goddess' blessing while Rushia quickly sent a spectral skeleton hand to the first monster in range. One of the boars died when the skeletal fingers grasped its head. Subaru raced out to meet them head-on, dropping another boar with two slashes.

* * *

Choco's lips never stopped moving. Calling for her goddess' weapon. Calling for judgment of sacred flames. All the while maintaining the image of her goddess patiently guiding the hands of her friends to strike down their enemies. The small fry had fallen, whether by flames or arrows or necromantic energy. She had placed herself well, in the way of the werewolf and the wolves. The wolves had been taken easily, save one. A lucky bite that grabbed her free hand that might have broken her concentration, but didn't. That last wolf used up its luck, dying to Matsuri's arrows.

The werewolf, though dangerous, was handled by the tiefling well enough with the aid of her cloak. Nonetheless, she had so many things to juggle. To be ready to shield herself just in case her cloak failed. To maintain the image of her goddess. To guide the mace of her goddess.

The werewolf wasn't able to bite her, but not for lack of trying.

She prayed that this lycan is forgiven for his actions.

The battle was swift and their misguided enemies slain.

Praise to the moon.

The spirit mace broke the back of the wereboar that was able to survive Subaru's longsword.

She asked for forgiveness.

The werewolf was slain, its life taken by bow, flame, and necrotic energy.

May this misguided one rest in peace.

* * *

The party breathed a sigh of relief as the werewolf fell and turned human again. Subaru glanced down at the man that used to be the wereboar and shook her head. She then gestured to the caravans.

"Is everyone alright?" called out the fighter as the party went towards them.

"By the gods above, thank you for saving us!"

"You have done a great service! Praise our heroes."

"Thanks for the help!"

"Help! Please save my son!" shouted a crying woman. She was on the ground, hugging her boy tightly, who was holding a swollen, bleeding hand. As Choco came near her, she shrieked and shouted, "Back! Don't touch my boy!"

"It's alright!" assured the fighter loudly, getting her attention, "Please, let her help. She is a good person."

"Please, I won't do anything to harm your son," added the tiefling, "Nothing will befall him. I will just take the curse away."

After getting nods, she reached out and cradled the boy's hand in hers. Chanting a prayer, the clasped hands glowed a radiant white for a moment before fading out. When she pulled her hands away, the swelling seemed to have faded a little.

"It is done. It has been removed," the tiefling told the crying mother. Standing up, she announced, "Please, if anyone has been bitten or gored in the attack, please come forward. I can perform this miracle two more times."

A man and a woman quickly stepped forward for help. As she healed them of their malady, Subaru was greeted by the leader of the caravan line. They were traveling traders going from town to town, selling their wares and plying their trade in simple professions; making repairs, making an assortment of toys to sell to children, and making odds and ends that help those living in villages and towns were among the things they did in exchange for money and food.

In return for this information, she told them about what happened in the next town.

"I see. If you are heading to the capital, do you mind helping us report this?" he asked.

"Of course. If they send a patrol here, I will definitely join in to assist," she assured.

"Thank you for your help," he said gratefully before moving on to check on the rest of the traders.

"I'm done here," said Choco as she rejoined the fighter.

"Alright. Let's get the others and continue on to Rivirapolis," the fighter told her as she headed to the cart.

* * *

"What a relief," exclaimed Choco, thankful that nothing else happened to them. They had just gotten off the cart and went past the gate.

"Well, we are back and I think we deserve some rest, right?" asked Subaru rhetorically with a grin.

"Hmm, it's been a long time since I came back here..." muttered Matsuri as she leaned against the fighter's shoulder, staring down the street.

"More time for Papa's book," stated Rushia happily with a beaming smile.

"Mogu, mogu," called out a certain cat girl suddenly, "How is everything?"

"Aaaah!" shouted the fighter in surprise. Taking a moment to calm down, she shouted, "Why did you have to do that!?"

"Just see why Korone does it," Okayu replied with a grin, "I understand her better now."

"...ha?" she deadpanned.

"Ërm, who's this?" asked the scout.

"Oh, you have a new friend. Hi, my name is Okayu. I work with the city guard on bounties," she introduced herself. Turning back to the others, "Actually, it's good that you're back. I need to talk to all of you about something."

* * *

"EEEHHHH!?"

"Yeah, that's how it is," stated the cat girl.

Everyone was crowding around the table in Okayu's house, except Rushia, who was in the guest room. Presumably with her nose buried in the spellbooks. The cat girl informed them that there has been an attempted assassination on the Gekko ambassador around a week ago. Someone familiar to Subaru and Choco.

"Is she safe?" asked the fighter with concern.

"She is. That… thing? Construct? Defender? Geh. Her bodyguard was able to protect her and helped her to get away," she explained, "It also bought her enough time for some guards to assist her. Unfortunately, some of them died… and this allowed her other bodyguard to kill the assassin."

"Ah… was she dressed in pink all over?" asked the tiefling. Getting a nod, she continued, "I thought so."

"Right… so Korone and I were pulled in to help investigate," the cat girl continued, "Though we hit a roadblock. We know what the assassin did. She had been observing for some time. We found parchment notes on her detailing the ambassador's movements. Lease of a room facing the ambassador's house. Unfortunately, that was all we found other than what she had on her. She didn't own a home here, no one had seen her before outside her job, nobody knew her. Because of this, we have no idea who hired her. That means the assassin was brought in from the outside. So, Korone decided to find her contacts outside the city and ask around. The investigation is on hold until then."

"That sounds very frustrating," said Matsuri, which prompted her to stare at the scout, who continued, "What?"

"You look familiar..."

"Eh? No. You have me mixed up with someone else, eh heh..." she refuted, waving her hands in front of her in protest.

"Maybe… I guess..." muttered the cat girl, accepting the explanation.

"Maybe we should go and visit them," suggested Subaru, "Just to see how they are doing."

"Sounds like a good idea," agreed Choco, "What could go wrong?"

* * *

Rushia declined, so after getting directions for Pekora's new place, the remaining three left Okayu's house to visit the ambassador. Soon, they found themselves seated with her highness in a tea room.

"Konpeko, konpeko, thanks for coming," greeted the rabbit princess.

"Let me guess, you heard of what happened," stated Miko with certainty, "It is nice of you to visit, but you didn't need to."

"I know we didn't but we did anyway," replied Subaru with a grin, "Besides, I also want to know what happened. Okayu could only tell us so much."

"HA↓ HA↑ HA↑ HA↑ HA↑ Of course we can!" stated Pekora proudly, "We can easily tell you how we peko-ed that assassin. HA↓ HA↑ HA↑ HA↑ HA↑"

As expected, the attempt was at night. She was in her study reading up on news with her defender standing next to the desk. They didn't know how the assassin got in. The guards didn't tell them anything. She tried to attack but the defender grabbed the blade and tried to retaliate. The princess was surprised but recovered fast enough to run out of the room in haste, the defender moving after her. The assassin chased after her but the guards that were assigned to the ambassador showed up and a melee ensued. The guards and the defender ended up getting taken down by the assassin but Miko showed up and blasted the worn down assassin.

"Any idea who could have sent the assassin?" asked the fighter.

"The guards asked us the same thing," answered Miko, "We said no. However, by coincidence, this all happened after the rabbit here actually finalized the trade deal."

"Hah! Pekoly no problem," declared Pekora proudly.

"Coincidence is far-fetched," commented Choco.

"Maybe? But who knows?" replied the pink warlock, "Still, I'm glad this is ending. I will have to escort her home soon. Not to mention, I heard that there is another ambassador from a different country arriving around the same time."

"Hah? Who?" asked Matsuri curiously

"Princess Luna! I peko her very well," exclaimed the rabbit princess with a grin, declaring, "Though she's shorter than me, she is peko much my eternal rival in cuteness."

"Not sure if that really needs a rival..." muttered Subaru under her breath. Then, she said aloud, "Well, thanks for having us over but we better get going."

"I shall show you to the door," replied Miko.

* * *

"Strange, about that coincidence, I mean," commented Choco as they made their way back to Okayu's house.

"Yeah," agreed Matsuri. Then, she suggested, "Maybe we can help Okayu? Figure out something of our own?"

"But we aren't bounty hunters," stated Subaru, shooting that suggestion down, "And I highly doubt we can get any clues that Okayu and the other investigators haven't already found. I mean, they already had a week to search."

"I could always ask around when I do my rounds," offered the tiefling.

"I know some people too. I can ask them," added the scout.

"...Choco, I believe, might get something? But you, I don't know," said the fighter, "I mean, I can ask another guard at their headquarters or even ask Okayu for specifics. Choco can ask around the modest and poorer parts of the city. Who could you ask?"

"I… Not out here..." the former said hesitantly, "Can we get back to the house first?"

"...Okay?"

* * *

"I… used to be… a courtier of the royal family," revealed Matsuri as soon as they settled down in the house, "Äfter an… incident… I was kicked out… but I still have a few people who… don't 'dislike' me as much? That I can call on."

"Ah… I guess that's good?" mused Subaru, tilting her head, "I guess any bit of help is good."

"Well, I guess we're covered," summed up Choco with a smile, "I just hope we get to the bottom of this."

"Right," quipped the scout.

"We may have our work cut out for us..." muttered the fighter with a smirk on her face.

**AN: Hello, readers. Today, we visit a strangely peaceful village. Then, we journey back to the capital, where we catch up on news with Okayu. Things are still happening in the background. Then, we visit Pekora and Miko again. They give us a hint of who will be showing up next. In the next chapter. Also, a hint of Matsuri's history. Vague hints to what she did. But, enough to satisfy Subaru's curiosity.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we will have gained a new quest.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

_While conducting our own investigation, we stay at Okayu's house. Of course, we helped with the daily expenses even if she said we didn't need to. I would have felt bad if we stayed here for free though so we helped anyway. The few days we were there, Choco's subtle questioning turned up nothing. Matsuri hasn't heard back from her friends. Okayu told us what they had found after some persuasion. The assassin had some pretty good tools on the high end. It seems that she was able to enter the house through the roof and stealthily snuck through the house all the way to the study. She stayed there hidden until Pekora came in and sat down at the desk. It seems that the defender was stationed next to the desk when Pekora was at home. Okayu thinks that the assassin paid little attention to it, thinking it was just a set of weird looking armor. When you put it that way, it does kind of look like that. I hope we get something soon. I rather not have this hanging when the next ambassador comes here._

* * *

"Subaru, I need to speak with Papa," whispered Rushia at the table during breakfast. Okayu had already left the house that morning, leaving the four of them to their own devices.

"After this," she whispered back.

"What are you talking about?" asked Matsuri, her interest suddenly piqued.

"Nothing… have you heard from your friend yet?" the former asked, hurriedly diverting the subject.

"Hmm," the latter hummed, narrowing her eyes, but said nothing else.

Breakfast ended without any problems. Choco left on her errand. Matsuri just stayed there facing Subaru and Rushia.

"Aren't you going now?" asked the fighter, mentally urging her to get up and leave.

"Oh, soon, very soon," assured the scout with a smile, "No need to wait for me."

The former narrowed her eyes and said nothing. The young necromancer tugged her arm impatiently. Still maintaining eye contact, she got up and walked to Rushia's room. Closing the door, she kept her ears open as she unhooked the flask from her belt. She opened the stopper and let the lich out.

"Papa," greeted the young girl.

The door was suddenly flung open and Matsuri shouted but trailed off, "Ah, ha! You… were..." She looked at the lich or a moment, frozen in place. The occupants of the room stared at her for a moment.

"Yes?" it asked, breaking the silence. Immediately, she fell over backward, her entire body slamming onto the wooden floor.

"..."

Wordlessly, Subaru went over to the scout. She picked her up and carried her over to Rushia's bed, laying her carefully on it.

"So, why was I called out now?" it asked, "Do you have need for anything, Rushia?"

"I'm sorry, Papa," she apologized, showing up the minorly-damaged spellbook, "I lost some spells."

"Let me see," it replied as it took its book back to browse through it. After a moment, it said, "I see… if I must be honest, you do not truly need the spells that were damaged. I'm sure you will do fine, Rushia." Slamming the spellbook shut, it handed the book back to her and asked, "Is there anything else?"

She opened the book again and showed him a spell, asking, "I need help with this, Papa. I don't understand how this works."

It stared at her for a moment and stated in a deadpan tone, "You wish to spend more time with me, don't you."

She blushed but still held the book up.

It chuckled and said, "Fine enough. Take out the crystal ball and set it on a stable surface. Then, go ahead and cast the spell. Target your friend here. Your friend that's still awake." Turning to Subaru, it said, "If you should feel something strange happening to you, let it. It is just the spell being cast."

The fighter nodded and relaxed. As Rushia chanted the mystical words and waved her hands around the crystal ball, she could feel a tingling traveling up and down her spine. She let it happen, feeling that this was the spell that was happening. Eventually, the feeling faded and the young lady gasped. Subaru was surprised as from where she was standing, she could see herself overhead. She looked up and saw nothing. The feeling of being watched was still there.

The young lady giggled and exclaimed, "I can see you, Subaru."

"Ah, that's good, I guess," she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Calm down and concentrate, Rushia," chided the lich. The young necromancer did so, taking in a few deep breaths.

Subaru let out a smile, " _You don't always see that eagerness in her eyes. Maybe_..." She decided to go and grab a cup of water. She left the room to hydrate herself. When she came back, however, she found the lich conversing with... someone? Who is he talking to?

"It is thanks to your guidance, my lord," it said as it bowed. Rushia looked on in confusion.

"...I am glad that you have found this entertaining, my lord."

The fighter felt that feeling of being watched suddenly disappeared.

"Anything."

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh," it sounded, "Nothing is going on." It then looked off to the side and muttered, "Yes, my lord."

"And who are you talking to?" she pressed on.

"Nothing important."

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "I command you to tell me who you were talking to and what were you talking about," she ordered.

It sighed and replied, "I was speaking to my teacher on another plane of existence. A devil. Well, I suppose less of a teacher and more of a deal maker."

"Papa?"

"I made a deal with a devil," it continued, "In an effort to prove my genius, I made a deal. He provided the ritual. If the ritual succeeded in my ascension, I will owe it something, be it a task or favor or something else entirely. If the ritual failed and causes my demise, it owns my soul."

Rushia got up and hugged it. Subaru, meanwhile, glared at it and asked, "What did it ask you to do?"

"...my master requested me to search for one of his half-blooded kin," it replied, "She has gone missing in the northwest corner of the continent. He sent her to search some ruins there and he is unable to contact her."

"...We are not going off to search for a devil follower," she finally said after some thought.

"He knows," it revealed, much to her horror, "And if you refuse, he will take a life for a life." It then glanced down at the hugging girl and pat her head.

"You couldn't mean..."

"There is no possible way to refuse him," it continued, "He will find a way to make sure the other end of the deal is done. You had best assist me in this if you do not want anything bad to happen."

She grit her teeth in both fear and frustration. How dare it… and she reluctantly voiced her agreement. "Fine… we can do it. Only after our affairs are in order."

"Very well… you can return me to the flask now."

* * *

"I didn't know this went that far down," muttered Choco when she heard what happened. Instead of staying in, they went to Farun's tavern for dinner. Korone had just come back and they decided to give them some time alone.

"Well, it never specified the time, so we can just settle things here first before going," stated Subaru as she folded her arms in front.

"I can't believe you have that in your flask," grumbled Matsuri, who immediately left the house after the debacle earlier, "I'll never look at her the same again." Rushia just stuck her tongue out at her. "Anyway, I've heard back from my friends," she continued.

"What did they say?"

"First, new ambassador coming tomorrow," she explained, "So, that means Pekora is going tomorrow too. And… there have been whispers about some discontent among the nobles due to the trade deal going through. Someone has been stirring it up even more though. Nobody knows who but the discontent is real, as much as I dislike it."

"Strange… would it be connected with the murder that happened weeks ago?" asked Subaru.

"Maybe? The murdered noble was purported to be a supporter of the Crown. It is all hearsay, but all this stirring is making it worse," she replied with concern.

"Right, let's finish our meal and plan out for tomorrow," said the tiefling, ending the conversation.

"I wonder what she looks like," thought the fighter aloud as she finished up.

* * *

"That's… as much pink as Miko," muttered Subaru. They had just said their goodbyes to Pekora and her entourage and were now waiting to see the next ambassador arrive at the house. When Princess Luna stepped out of the carriage, they were a little taken aback.

"She's just a child," exclaimed Choco softly, "And she's the ambassador?"

"Ah, cute," muttered Rushia.

Matsuri just stared at the ambassador, the blush on her face growing redder by the moment. As the princess walked up to the gate and stood there waiting for the hired help, she suddenly ran forward. Before anyone could react, she knelt in front of the pink princess, shouting, "Princess, will you marry me!?"

"...Whanora?"

The scout was suddenly picked up by the waist. She turned her head and looked up. A large minotaur stared back at her, looking rather annoyed with her actions. He carried her over to the party and dumped her on the ground, his deep voice saying politely, "If you would be so kind as to Not trouble the princess. Thank you."

She pouted as the minotaur lumbered back to the carriage and directed the hired help in moving the luggage. "But she is so pretty, how can I not..." she grumbled, staring moodily at the minotaur.

Subaru smirked and said teasingly, "Come on, we have someone to save. If we do things quickly, we might be able to get back here in time to shame yourself even more."

"Not you too," the former groaned as the other two giggled.

After that weird incident, they made inquiries at the northern gate stable. After finding out that there were no villages or forts in the direction, it seemed a journey on foot was inevitable. Fortunately for them, there have been explorers mapping the place and they could buy a map at the general store. Unfortunately, when they got there, they found out that since nobody has ever wanted to go there after the initial expedition came back, copies of the map are a lot more expensive than expected. Even after Choco tried to haggle the price down, it was still too expensive.

"That was a setback," muttered Subaru on their way back to Okayu's house.

"Understatement of the year," replied Choco, "I don't like journeying there blind, but I think there's nothing we can do."

"Not to mention we have an investigation that can turn into a rescue mission," grumbled Matsuri, "Maybe just go there and let the dice roll."

"Ne, Subaru, Papa went to school here, right?" asked Rushia out of the blue.

"...I… think that's what he said last time? Why?" asked the fighter, wondering where this was going.

"The school has a library, right? Can we find maps in a library?" asked the young necromancer.

They stopped and blinked. That made a lot of sense.

"Wonderful idea, Rushia!" exclaimed the scout as she suddenly picked her up in a hug and twirled her around like in a dance.

"Put… me… down..." deadpanned the young girl as she slowly got dizzy with all the twirling.

"Please don't make a scene," pleaded the fighter as she brought her palm to her face and shook her head.

"Oh, my," murmured the tiefling as she laughed silently in her hand, taking in the funny sight.

After calming down the excitable scout, they went straight to the school. It was strange but expected, that all manner of detection spells were cast on them before they were even allowed in the school grounds. After that, it was a simple thing to get directions to the library. They waited outside while Rushia went in to get a copy of the map created. They ignored the stares that were sent their way by the presumed students and faculty of the school but they paid no mind to them. By the time the young girl had gotten hold of a copy, it was close to night time and they were tired of waiting. After that, it was just a matter of satisfying their hunger and bunking in at the cat girl's house for the night.

* * *

The next day, after saying their goodbyes to Okayu and Korone, they set off from the north gate in the northwestern direction. The plains eventually gave way to a forest. According to the map, they have to traverse a large swathe of this forest just to get to the other side. Then, it was just barren wasteland from there on out according to the map. However, after what seemed to be hours of walking, they came across something that wasn't on the map. A series of pools filled with clear water in the same area.

"What is this?" asked Subaru, filled with curiosity. Choco and Rushia just shrugged, the young necromancer noting where the pools of water were.

"I think I heard of this before," stated Matsuri as she furrowed her brow, trying to remember what it was.

Feeling a little thirsty after walking that long, the fighter knelt down and cupped some water in her hands. "Are you sure you should do that, Subaru?" asked the tiefling with concern.

"Doesn't seem to affect me much. Maybe it's just water collected here after the rain," replied the fighter before drinking.

"Ah! No! Stop! Don't drink it!" shouted the scout suddenly.

"Ah… that was refreshing. See there's nothing shuba shuba shuba shuba… Shuba?" replied Subaru, her voice suddenly taking on a low, husky tone.

"I knew you shouldn't have done that," muttered Choco in a reprimanding tone.

"Shuba shuba shuba shuba shuba, shuba?" asked the former in a pleading tone.

"...I have no idea what you're saying," deadpanned the tiefling, which prompted the slouching of shoulders and head in despair.

"...Erm, let's just continue? We still have a way to go before sundown and who knows, it may wear off," reasoned Matsuri as she took on the mantle of guide once more.

They continued on their journey, with random mutterings of 'shuba' from the fighter. As the sun came down, the party set up camp and settled down for the night after setting up their watch rotation. The next morning, Subaru yawned and said, "Shuba shuba." Her eyes widened as the water's effect still hasn't ended yet.

"Hey, Choco, can we heal Subaru now?" asked Matsuri with concern.

"Alright, alright, I'll heal her," relented the tiefling as she went over to the despairing fighter. Placing a hand over her head, she chanted for a moment, the other hand raised up to the sky. After that, she asked, "Any different?"

"Shuba."

"Alright, let's try another one," she stated as she repeated her motions. This time, a faint glow was emitted from the fighter's body. "Any different?" she repeated the question as the glow died down.

"I… I… Thank you, Choco!" Subaru exclaimed as she hugged the tiefling around the waist gratefully.

"Well, I hope you learned your lesson," the former stated with a smile.

"Yes, I have," further exclaimed the fighter as she released her hug.

"Ah, can we go now?" asked Matsuri, "We might be able to make it out of the forest by midday, I think."

"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's get to it!" shouted Subaru eagerly as she jumped up for joy, finally able to speak properly again.

"Ah, Subaru is not a dying duck anymore," muttered Rushia.

**AN: Hello, readers. Today, while they continue their investigations, Matsuri stumbles upon the lich. Who proceeds to give them their next quest. But not before they meet their next friend. Well, future friend.**

**Here is the princess of candy Luna Himemori.**

Luna Himemori

Everlasting Child (Kid) Fighter

Battle Master (Defence fighting style)

**For this princess, based on her child-like mannerisms, we have a child-like fighter similar to a certain Gran Blue Fantasy short swordswoman. Her cow butler also makes an appearance as a fearsome minotaur of steadfast loyalty. You do not want to mess with him. And thanks to her skill in Dark Souls, Battle Master.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we finish our journey to the ruins and meet our next friend. Guess who?** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

_Thank the gods I can speak properly again! I do not want to sound like that permanently. No. No. No. No. I just want to get out of this forest… And I don't know which is worse… that damned scarecrow or those duck ponds… Both I don't like... ha..._

_We made it out of the forest and we were faced with… a rocky wasteland. I see no trees or bushes. Just rocks… rocks everywhere. I wonder if we are in over our heads here…_

* * *

Looking at the large expanse, they decided to camp at the fringe of the forest for a night to gather wood and scavenge extra food for the rest of the journey. When the next day arrived, they had gotten enough of both to last at least a night. The walk was not as unbearable as was expected. The air was strangely cool. The land was cracked and littered with rocks and boulders. They spent about half the day just walking and traversing across the wasteland.

"Any idea how much longer we need to walk before we reach those ruins?" asked Choco tiredly.

"No idea," admitted Subaru, "You know, let's have a break. We can stop there."

They stopped at a large boulder and took cover under the shade.

"Ha… yay for rest," cheered Matsuri.

"Ah," sounded Rushia.

"This makes me wonder where the ruins are," said the tiefling, "Are there even ruins in the first place?"

"There should be," replied the fighter, "If not, why would we be directed here?" She then picked up a small rock and tossed it away. It bounced on the ground, rolling away before coming to a stop. Then, it hopped. Subaru blinked, wondering if she was dreaming. It bounced again. Then, several times.

"Choco, what's going on?" she asked as she kept staring at the bouncing rock. The ground then started shuddering. Everyone got on their feet and drew out their weapons. They slowly stepped around, wary of any attacks. Everything suddenly stopped moving. Silence.

The ground in front of Subaru suddenly burst open, showering the place with dirt and rock. A large, purple worm followed after and lunged at her with maw agape. She leaped back, fully avoiding it. It rose up, coiled on its body and roaring loudly, the sting on its tail end dripping with venom. A beam of radiant flame slammed onto its body in response. A familiar spirit weapon materialized beside it, missing its attack as the worm writhed under the light beam. They wasted little time retaliating, her sword and a few arrows biting its flesh. She heard Rushia chanting and red ribbons flew and wrapped around it for a moment. It roared even louder before lunging at her. She moved to the side to avoid the large maw but she gasped and grit her teeth as the stinger was jabbed into her stomach. It stung and made her want to vomit her stomach out. It then dove into the earth, much to her surprise.

"Watch out! It may come around for another attack," warned Choco.

"Just… what was that?" shouted out the fighter in between coughs.

"That's a purple worm," replied Matsuri aloud, "I only heard of them… though, I thought they were a lot more bigger than that."

"You mean they get bigger? Than that!?" she shouted, now sounding quite fearful.

"Eh?" murmured Rushia as the ground shook a little. Then, the worm burst out behind her and swallowed her whole.

"RUSHIA!" shouted the fighter.

"Quickly! Kill it before it runs!" shouted Choco before muttering a prayer and reaching to the sky. Their weapons glowed with radiant light.

Subaru roared as she charged forward and slashed through its thick skin, with Matsuri assisting with arrows. It roared again and lunged at the fighter. She dodged to the side but once again fell victim to the stinger. The churning in her stomach increased, just as the worm dove into the ground again.

"Damn it, get back here!" she yelled after the disappearing monster.

"Focus, Subaru!" called out the tiefling as she tensed up as the ground started shuddering again. True enough, the ground burst open in front of her and the worm lunged forward. This time, she was ready. She leaped up into the air, mentally moving the spirit mace into position. Drawing her own mace, both weapons slammed straight onto the worms head, splitting it wide open. It writhed for a moment, thrashing itself out of the hole, as she took a few steps back. It then lay still, dead with green liquid lapping out of its decimated head.

"Rushia! Are you in there!?" yelled Subaru worriedly as she ran over and peered inside.

Some squelching sounds could be heard coming from within. Seconds later, the young necromancer crawled out of the dead worm, dripping with liquid. "Naaaaaaaa," she yelled in frustration.

"Are you alright?" asked the fighter with concern. The pouting girl stood up and walked past her to get her backpack, hissing angrily to herself.

"Umm, since this worm isn't as big as I thought it was, it might be just a juvenile. So… are the bigger ones around here? An adult one? It couldn't come from out of nowhere, right?" Matsuri asked suddenly.

The group stared at each other for a moment, dread slowly being etched on their faces. Then, the fighter said, "Erm, let's get out of here."

With unbelievable speed, they gathered their things and quickly left the place.

* * *

Eventually, due to their hasty retreat, they reached the coast of this wasteland. They decided to follow the coast to try and find the ruins. And after an hour of walking towards what they assumed was the tip of the land, they did. Somewhat. Pieces of stone and rubble concentrated around one single area that had a spiral staircase leading down into the depths of some dungeon. Seeing that night was falling, they decided to camp for the night at the entrance, making use of the supplies they gathered before. It was fortunate that nothing else happened during the night.

In the morning, they readied themselves before descending into the darkness with a torch each. It was only one flight and they stepped into a medium-sized room. A passage led off in the darkness. They looked at each other and nodded. As they entered the passage, they found a skeleton on the floor.

"Is this one it?" whispered Subaru.

"Hmph, it might explain why that devil couldn't contact anyone," muttered Choco.

"No clue on who this is," noted Matsuri, "Also, what did that lich say? 'Half-blooded kin'? This one doesn't have any horns."

"Strange," murmured Rushia.

"Right, let's continue," the fighter stated as she continued onward, "We should-"

*click*

*shing*

Luckily, she was able to jump back on time as several spikes shot out of the intricately carved wall and slammed into the opposite side.

"WHAT!" she yelled out in surprise, suddenly feeling very terrified as the spikes slowly retracted into the slots of the wall she never noticed before. They were extremely well hidden in the carved grooves of the wall.

"Tch, traps. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole passage is full of them," muttered the tiefling with a frown, "Makes me wonder what we're dealing with here."

"Ah," Rushia sounded. She then walked over to the skeleton and pulled off the leg bone.

"Erm, what are you..." trailed off the scout when the young girl started pressing down on the tile that triggered the trap with the long bone. It triggered with a click and a shing. A small chant and gesture later, the tile was bright pink. "That's a good idea," she admitted.

"Hi, hi," the young girl laughed as she continued to cautiously press the tiles while they pressed onward. She triggered two more traps, one with rapid-firing bolts and another mechanical spike trap. Both tiles were also glowing bright pink by the time she was done with them. And then, she heard a fourth click.

Nothing happened.

"Hmm? That's weird," muttered Subaru as Rushia pulled back the bone, "Did it-"

"Argh!" shouted Matsuri as she stumbled forward, two arrows buried in her back. Choco sprang to action, quickly having her kneel down while she proceeded to carefully examine the arrows.

The fighter quickly searched through her pack and pulled something out while asking, "Here, do you need this?" She offered a healing potion.

The scout looked to the tiefling, who said, "Take it as I remove the arrows."

She got ready to pull the shafts out.

"Three… two… one!"

Pulling out the bloodied, sharpened wood, she watched as Matsuri immediately downed the potion in one swig. The scout breathed heavily for a moment before calming down. "Well, that was… kind of scary," she admitted. Getting to her feet and looking behind them, she muttered, "Where in the world did those arrows come from?"

*click*

Something seemed to shift from far off and nothing else happened. Rushia withdrew the bone and still, nothing happened. "Only that," she summed up.

"I hope we don't face any more traps," grumbled Subaru with a frown, "Thankfully, the exit is just up ahead. Let's go."

The trapped passage opened up into a large area. Two sets of stairs were on either side going downwards into the darkness. A brazier lit the way to each set of stairs. Nothing else was around. They scanned the place warily.

"Nothing seems to stand out," stated Matsuri.

"Those traps are well-made. Whoever is here now is just using them for their own benefit," mused Choco.

"Right, let's just go and see what's over the edge there," suggested Subaru. All in agreement, they crossed the raised area.

Without warning, a strange sigil appeared when they crossed the center. They tried to run back to the passage but it was too late. Purple, translucent walls having the same sigil suddenly materialized over the edge of the area all the way to the entrance of the passage, sealing them in. Dropping their packs, they got ready for a fight. A flash of light later, four steam mephits appeared. Cackling, their bodies suddenly blurred out of sight as they flew around them.

"What in the world are these?" asked the fighter as she moved to protect Matsuri and Rushia.

"Small elemental," replied the young necromancer.

"So they can be defeated like any other thing," added the scout as she sent arrows into the nearest one. One lodged in the chest and the other going wide, disappearing into the darkness. Choco just chanted and gestured, their bodies gaining a radiant gleam.

The mephits cackled, continuing to move around and hover in the air. All four went straight for Subaru and let loose bursts of piping hot steam on her and Matsuri, prompting shrieks of pain. One of them stopped their cackling when a spectral, skeletal hand slapped it across the face, causing it to shriek in return. It was so distracted, it didn't realize it died when the fighter slashed it down. She was quite surprised, though, when it burst into a blast of steam, but she was able to shield herself in time. Then, she had to duck when its friend dove at her. She couldn't hit it in time due to the awkward angle.

Meanwhile, Choco summoned her spirit mace and went to town on the nearest mephit, smacking it to the ground and finishing it off with her own mace. The blast of steam was also shielded off. Its friend too dove at her, raking her back, the pain disrupting her concentration and making the radiant gleam fade away. At the same time, Rushia tagged the mephit that dove at the fighter, the spell causing frost to cover its hands and claws. Having it a bit more visible was a benefit, as the fighter's longsword cleaved through it easily, though she got a blast of hot air as a response. The same happened to the tiefling as she moved to take out the last mephit.

Suddenly, the sigil glowed the moment the last mephit dissipated. This time, two magma mephits and one fire elemental materialized. This time, they were more than ready. A ball of necrotic energy flew through the air and washed over the elemental. Subaru ran forward and sliced one mephit into four pieces, dodging backward as it exploded in a burst of lava. The other mephit fell to Matsuri's arrows, the lava setting the arrows on fire as it lost its shape as well.

The spirit mace floated over and slammed the elemental in the back while its face was flooded with a flash of bright light. Roaring angrily, it flowed over to Subaru, its flaming fist rocking her head. The shaken fighter let out a scream of pain as the elemental engulfed her with its body. It took another blast of necrotic energy to destroy its form and make it dematerialize. At the same time, the purple barrier disappeared. Choco quickly ran over to her and healed her burns.

"Are you alright to continue?" she asked as the fighter calmed down enough to stop her agonized screams. Getting a nod, she helped her to her feet. She helped her over to look over the edge of the area. There was a walkway down there with a pair of torches lighting the entrance of two passages.

"Well, let's go right," said Subaru after they retrieved their backpacks. Not knowing where else to go, they followed the fighter down the right passageway.

The place was sparsely lined with torches. The place was quite dim, so they still needed torches. Soon the passage split into two again. They went right and continued onward. Soon, they reached another branch.

"So many forks in the way," muttered Matsuri as she glanced around, "Okay… there seems to be more disturbance on the left side passage."

"Alright, we go right again," decided the fighter.

The passage soon led to a wooden door. Surprisingly, it wasn't locked or trapped in any way. Rushia, however, looked reluctant to go in when the door creaked open.

"What's wrong, Rushia?" asked Subaru.

"Something is wrong in there, Subaru," she replied, "It feels like being cut off from… something..."

"I sort of feel it too," admitted Choco as she stood in the doorway, "Someone probably put an anti-magic field here. Makes you wonder why..."

"That would be me, my dear," a voice suddenly spoke up.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. The room was a prison with cells all along one side of the wall, boxed in by wooden partitions. In the farthest cell, was a beautiful lady with purple hair in twin-tails. She wore a long grey robe with an attached hood. The most striking feature about her was a jet-black tail that came out behind her. "So, are you here to let me out?" she continued to ask.

"Are you the one sent by that devil?" asked Matsuri, and then she turned around to ask the fighter, "Did we ever get a name?"

This brought a laugh from the lady's lips. "You don't even know his name and you are helping him?" she said between chuckles, "That's rich." And she continued to laugh.

"Well? Were you sent by a devil or not?" asked the fighter exasperatedly.

The laughter petered off. "Yes, I was," she confirmed with a smirk, "My lord sent me here to find an artefact here. Unfortunately, I only found kobolds. Lots of them. I have no idea why they are here nor do I care. Getting captured was unfortunate. Getting stuck in this anti-magic field is even worse."

"Do you know who is leading these kobolds?" asked the tiefling as the party went up to the cell. It had a heavy padlock. The wood also seemed too sturdy to be broken. They need a saw or an axe to break through it.

"Well, there was this half-black dragon. I think he's the one they answer to," she informed them.

"I'm surprised they didn't kill you," muttered Subaru.

"I think the thought did cross the half-dragon's mind, but thanks to my great looks, I was just imprisoned until they could decide what to do with me," she assumed with a shrug. She then said, "Well, I hope you're ready, because the replacement guard should be here."

"What?"

They heard the creaky door opening and a single kobold stepped inside. It froze the moment it caught sight of the party. Matsuri immediately shot it, the arrow slamming straight center in its throat.

"Well, if you can lift the key from it, we can go on our merry way, my dear rescuers," urged on the lady.

"So, what do we call you?" asked the fighter as the scout ran over and shut the door before searching the kobold guard.

"Ah, where are my manners. You can call me... Towa. I am a half-devil. It's a pleasure to meet you."

**AN: Hello, readers. Today, we have an actual dungeon dive. With traps. And monsters. It was hard to find an in-between worm. You either get a gigantic full-grown purple worm or smaller wormlings. Nothing that's in between ever got put out. Thankfully, one can Google to find people's homebrew for that.**

**Anyway, here is our next party member, Towa.**

Towa Tokayami

Half-Devil (Path of Beauty) Warlock

Pact of the Fiend with Asmodeus

**Seeking out something specific takes a while to put together. She wants to become an archdevil, we give her an archdevil as a patron, someone to look up to. Of course, this doesn't discount her tendency to do good deeds, as part of her flaw, despite her insistence that she is Lawful Evil.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we escape and travel back to the capital.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

_Kobolds? Why are they out here? There is… nothing here. Unless they have taken the artefact that Towa mentioned. I kind of wonder what kind of artefact she was sent to look for. I mean… it makes sense to have all those traps… but, can kobolds really maintain all those traps? They're kinda smarter than I thought. Scary…_

_Anyway, Towa also told us that she had already explored the dungeon and asked us to help get her stuff. That meant going to the armory… which is pretty much on the far side of the place. Hopefully, we don't get discovered…_

* * *

Peering out of the door, the party and the half-devil quietly went out of the room. Then, they reached the first branch. One of them peered around the corner and observed. Nothing.

"We're clear. Let's go," informed Matsuri as she motioned the rest of them forward. They hurried past the first branch and walked slowly down the passageway. They stopped at the next branch and waited for her to look.

"Alright, we… shit," she began as she turned back to face them and she spotted a small kobold peering around the corner of the first branch.

"Run."

The young kobold started running back and yipping loudly. At the same time, they booked it, running all the way back to the room with the elevated floor. Soon, a cacophony of noise rose after them. They ran into the left passageway as fast as they could. They could see another wooden door at the end of it. They ignored a left turn but as they ran past it, they heard a loud roar coming from it. They threw open the door and quickly shut it. Subaru and Matsuri then dragged the barricade over and lifted it into the brackets. Cue the pounding on the door.

"Ah, Bibi! I missed you!" exclaimed Towa with outstretched arms. A hat on the table suddenly shook and transformed into an imp and jumped into the hug.

"So, is there any way to get out of here without going through a horde of kobolds and what sounded like that half-dragon," snarked Choco.

"Give me a moment," the half-devil told them as she went searching for her stuff, the imp transforming back into a hat that fit snugly on her head, "Maybe look around for things you want to loot too while I'm at it."

Taking that as advice, the fighter looked around, wondering what she could take. Most of the stuff here were just simple swords and daggers as well as several crossbows. There were two armor racks with a full set of plate armor on each.

"Ah! Alright, let's take this," she decided, pointing at the set of plate armor, "We can each take a piece."

"If you're sure..." muttered Choco, somewhat unsure about this. The fighter took the main body of plate… with great difficulty as she needed both hands to hold on to it. Matsuri took both arm pieces. Rushia stuffed the gauntlets into the helmet and picked it up. The tiefling took both leg pieces.

The pounding on the door suddenly stopped. Then, an acrid, burning smell wafted into the room. It was a familiar smell.

"Acid… are we done yet?" asked Subaru anxiously.

"So… are you up to teleporting to another plane? The Ethereal Plane perhaps?" asked Towa.

She stared at the half-devil, unable to think of a response. Glancing back at the door, she could see the acid bubbling through the door already. Looking back at the half-devil, she noticed a scroll in her hands.

"Prepare yourself," were the only words of warning before Towa read the words on the scroll. Suddenly, the entire world became a scale of grey the moment she finished. The scroll immediately burst into flames. She dropped the burnt scraps and headed straight for the door. Glancing back at their shocked faces, she said, "Hurry up, stuff moves slower in the Ethereal Plane."

The door burst open at that moment and kobolds poured in, followed by the half-black dragon that was mentioned to them earlier. They couldn't hear what it was shouting or roaring but it didn't matter too much. The party hurried after the half-devil. True enough, it was a little hard to move in this plane. It was like moving through a particularly thick part of the forest.

They made their way past the frantic kobolds, down the passageway and up to the elevated floor. Taking care to not pass the center of the floor, they entered the dark passageway. Thankfully, the trapped tiles were still glowing pink and they simply walked past them. They let out a breath of relief when they saw the circular stairs.

"Alright, we should be safe now," declared Subaru once they reached outside, "How much longer will the spell last?"

"It should last until when night falls," she commented offhandedly as she adjusted her imp-hat, "Though, I have no idea how to tell the time in the Ethereal Plane, so it's just a guess. So, better get started waking then."

Sighing, the fighter led the group across the wastes once again. Even though it was sort of slow going, she took solace in the fact that they wouldn't be spotted by any purple worms of any size. They didn't know how long they walked but when the spell ended, it was definitely night. However, they haven't even reached the forest yet and she had a deep sense of foreboding as they continued to walk. Without warning, the land started shuddering and rumbling just as the forest was coming up to view.

"No! Not again!" she started to moan as five juvenile purple worms burst out of the ground a few feet away from the party and roared as they lunged at them.

"RUN!"

Prompted by Matsuri's shriek, they took off like they had hot coals on their heels. The worms immediately dove into the ground and tunneled after them. After a running start, Choco took to the sky, flying far ahead. The scout just ran as fast as she could. Towa did the same.

Taking a flying leap, Rushia landed on the fighter's back, who shouted, "Rushia!?" She was able to hold on to her but the sudden weight caused her to fall over, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Two worms burst out of the ground and were in the process of diving on them.

"Ratio ianuam! Forward five hundred feet!" shouted the young necromancer as she held on to the fighter's shoulders. Just as their jaws clamped shut on them, they disappeared from their maws and reappeared just a few feet away from the forest line.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

Matsuri ran past them as they groaned and got to their feet. Looking back, she could see that Towa had fallen behind. "Choco!" she called out as she pointed at the half-devil. The winged tiefling nodded and flew down, grabbing the half-devil by the armpits. This slowed her down a little but they still had enough momentum to get ahead of the worms.

"Hurry! They can't go past the forest!" shouted the scout from behind a tree.

The fighter and the necromancer ran after the scout. The tiefling flew as fast as she could but the worms were gaining on them. One of them suddenly shot up into the air, its gaping maw stretching out to try and swallow them whole.

"Vi murum!"

Rushia chanted something and the worm slammed into an invisible wall. It fell to the ground, presumably stunned. That bought Choco enough time to fly into the forest, dropping and tumbling with Towa on the green carpet of grass. As time passed, the shuddering faded, signaling the retreat of the worms. At the same time, the stunned worm recovered and dug into the ground. With that, Subaru fell back on the ground herself, breathing in deeply and letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank… thank you," panted out the half-devil, "I… thought I was… going to die..."

"Well… your thanks… is a surprise… you're welcome," replied Choco.

"Thanks for saving, Rushia," said the fighter with a grin. The young necromancer just smiled in reply.

"Never… again..." shouted the scout in between breaths, "Never… want to see… worms… again..."

"I think... we can set camp here..." the former suggested, "At least before we go into the forest."

"I'm open to anything at this point," muttered the tiefling. Everyone else called out their agreements too.

* * *

The wasteland beyond the treeline looked cold and desolate. Subaru was on the third watch. She was sort of surprised that Towa offered to take the second watch.

" _Unexpected_ ," she thought to herself as she turned away from the view, " _I never expected her to help us… sort off… I wonder if she is just paying us back for helping her._ "

She sighed as she walked up to the campfire and tossed in a few more branches. With the crackling fodder, she looked around. Then, she thought she saw a flash of something.

"What was that?" she muttered. She heard further rustling and her senses screamed danger. She raised her shield and something heavy crashed against it. Lowering it, she caught sight of a tentacle disappearing in the darkness.

"Wake up! We're under attack!" she shouted as she kept her eyes peeled. The forest was way too dark for her to see through, but she didn't want to get everyone out in the open wasteland in case of more worms. Matsuri groaned as she roused herself and picked up her bow. Towa, however, was already up and immediately shot eldritch blasts into the darkness.

"Hurry! Get up! They are-argh!" yelled Subaru as something slammed into her side. She could feel spikes sticking into her and being retracted. Once again, she saw a tentacle retreating in the darkness. She grit her teeth as she slowly figured out what was on those tentacles; some sort of spikes. She didn't know what they were though.

She then heard Choco chanting and found a familiar glow around her arms. However, she wasn't prepared for more spiked tentacles attacking her. They attacked both ways at once and she wasn't able to spot them on time. She could also hear the scout yelling in pain.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she moved over to shield her.

"Guh, my arm feels like it's been stabbed and punched," the scout complained as she drew her bow back, two arrows nocked, "Here goes nothing."

A second after release, the fighter heard pained snarls from the darkness. "I think you got them," she muttered tensely.

Then, Rushia screamed. She spun around and saw the young necromancer get beaten down by more of those spiked tentacles. Then, she almost tumbled forward, getting struck in the back by the same thing.

"What in the world is attacking us?" she shouted as she rushed up to defend the young girl just as she shot a ray of black enervating energy in the dark.

"Displacer beasts," declared Towa as she shot a few more blasts, "I wouldn't mind having one as a pet."

"Gah! Shitty beasts!" cursed the fighter as she blocked a set of tentacles, but she wasn't able to beat back the second set. "No! Rushia!" she shouted as the young necromancer crumpled to the ground, bleeding from multiple points. She hurriedly pulled her nearer to the fire and out of harm's way, shouting, "Choco, she needs help!"

"Alright, give me a moment!" the tiefling replied as she cast a bolt of light through the trees, hitting a beast that was in the process of attacking Subaru. The tentacles slammed into her shield but she held firm.

"I can see that!" called out Matsuri as she sent two arrows at the glittering lights.

The half-devil laughed as she conjured up a ball of fire and launched it at the lights. More pained snarls were heard. "Ha! Run while you can!" she jeered.

Meanwhile, the tiefling hurried over to Rushia and placed her hands over her while chanting. A green glow washed over her as her wounds slowly closed up.

"Not sure if they're running!" called out Subaru as another pair of tentacles slammed into her shield.

"No, two of them ran. One is still here," informed the warlock as the young necromancer got to her feet and shot a ray of sickly green into the dark. Another pair of arrows went the same way, triggering more snarls. "You are surprisingly lucky. Do you have halfling blood in you?" she asked the scout after she sent an eldritch blast the same way.

"I don't," Matsuri replied as the tiefling sent another bolt of light at the beast. The lights glittered a little before fading out.

"It's dead," declared the former with satisfaction, to which she praised, "Nice fight. An admirable performance."

"Should we expect a second attack?" asked Subaru, now feeling the tiredness coming in at full force.

"I doubt it. We sent them away with their tails between their legs," mused the half-devil, "We should be fine. But if it makes you feel better, I can take the last watch while you rest."

"That's awfully nice of you. Do you really have devil blood in you?" asked Choco with a hint of suspicion.

"W-wh-what are you talking about?" sputtered Towa as she blushed, "I-I just want to repay you. Y-y-you did me a service and I-I don't want to be indebted to you lot. That's all."

"Sure..." teased the tiefling with faux disbelief.

"It's true, damn it!"

* * *

Subaru yawned and rubbed her eyes. It didn't feel like she had enough sleep but the sun pretty much woke everyone up as it rose. Even the trees didn't block everything. After everyone was on their feet and packed everything away, they continued on their journey. Seeing that the only landmark they found was the pools of magic water, they kept their eyes peeled for it. It was quite important for them to get out of this place. With their rest time disrupted the previous night, they want to get to a safe and familiar place before sundown. It was unfortunate that they found something quite the opposite.

The area seemed to darken quite a bit. Light seemed to have difficulty shining through. Large spider webs began covering the tree canopy and eventually, the area they covered even reached the ground.

"I think we are going in the wrong direction," muttered Choco worriedly.

"Hng… all I did was go in a straight line," informed Matsuri, "I don't think we should be surprised that we end up in strange places."

"I just wonder how many spiders did it take to make this," wondered Subaru quietly.

"Maybe we should just turn around and go around the place," suggested Towa, "This amount of webbing isn't normal. There has to be more than just normal spiders here."

"Subaru, there's a cave there," said Rushia as she pointed into its direction.

From the outside, it seemed to be full of webbing. However, sharp eyes spotted something. "Hey, I think I see a body there," stated the tiefling as she pointed to a bound skeleton wrapped to a tree next to the cave. It sported some leather armor as well as a pouch or two that seemed visible enough. As they neared it, even more skeletons were seen wrapped around the tree.

"Friends," muttered the young necromancer.

"I wonder if we can pull them down," wondered the scout.

"Need I remind you that we didn't rest enough last night," pointed out the half-devil, "I highly doubt we can afford to tangle with whatever made this. So, we should leave and find a better, peaceful place to rest and maybe, you can come back here and try your luck."

"Is something wrong, Choco?" asked the fighter, noticing the tiefling suddenly looking up to the trees.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, "I keep hearing some faint steps moving around the moment we reached here. Now, shadowy shapes flitting around in the trees. I think we should listen to her suggestion."

"Well, I think-"

Subaru was cut off abruptly when she and Choco were suddenly covered in webbing. The place suddenly became surrounded by chittering and a giant spider landed on the forest floor. Landing next to it was a purple, grotesque looking thing. It walked on two legs that supported a large abdomen that had spinnerets on its front. It had a spider-like head with long muscular and clawed arms. That wasn't all. Spiders started swarming on the floor from the cave and from different trees, including the one they were surrounding. Foci and weapons were quickly drawn while she and the tiefling tried their best to break through the webbing.

"Tch, an ettercap… figures..." growled Towa.

"No jumping!" shouted Matsuri, skewering a leaping spider. Rushia took out another one, catching it mid-air with a spectral, skeletal hand. Subaru was able to tear the webbing off and charged straight at the giant spider, slashing its head and cutting through several of its eyes. It chittered a shriek and retaliated, but missed as half its eyes were gone. Meanwhile, the ettercap shot a wad of webbing at the young necromancer, tying her in place.

She tried struggling but let out a shriek instead as two spiders leaped at her. "Get off me!" she shouted as they bit her arms. Choco hissed as another spider started biting her as well. She was able to break out of the webbing and tried grabbing it but it jumped off her body. She tried to crush it with her mace but it skittered out of the way.

"Eeek! Get them off!" shrieked Towa as swarms of spiders flowed all over her body, biting on exposed skin. In her panic, she started shooting at the spiders that haven't clambered over her. Therefore, she was quite thankful for the scout's help in cutting down the number of spiders in that massive swarm.

Rushia was still stuck in the webs, but she was still able to get a hand free and tried to shoot one of the spiders with extreme cold. It missed as it danced out of the way. However, she was able to hit it on the second try as it came in to bite her again.

Meanwhile, Subaru finished off the giant spider, impaling its head with her longsword. Then, she turned around to help the other two kill off their spiders. Unfortunately, that left her open to an attack from behind as the ettercap charged in and bit her in the shoulder. Clamping down hard, it buried its claws into her side. She was able to slam her elbow into its fanged mouth and force it to release her. As Choco helped to clean up the swarm with sacred flames, Towa, Matsuri, and Rushia chipped in to weaken the ettercap so that the fighter can finally lop its head off in two swings.

"I told you we should have turned around!" shouted the half-devil, still quite shaken by her ordeal, "Urgh, so many spiders..."

"Alright… let's see if we can pull those skeletons down and see if they have anything," decided the fighter, "Then, we'll leave. I promise."

**AN: Hello, readers. Today, we have an escape from a dungeon kind of deal. Imagine taking apart a full set of plate mail. Weird, huh? Not counting meeting more young/juvenile purple worms. Then, an ambush in the darkness. For your information, only Choco and Towa have darkvision. Matsuri and Rushia got really lucky getting their shots in. The next day, we cover Towa in spiders. Sorry. Not sorry.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we visit a different place.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

_Gods above, so many spiders. I'm just glad we could eliminate them before they became a problem. Although, we had problems trying to get the skeletons off the trees. The upper part was full of webbing and Choco didn't want to fly up there. So, we were limited to the ones nearest to us. There were two that we pulled off the tree. Searching whatever containers they had yielded some gold pieces, a few gems and a pair of glasses. They had dark-green lenses. Nice, we might have something magical here, though we have no idea if they are or not._

_After all that, we backtracked and tried going around the web lair. Thanks to Matsuri, it was easily done. Although, I'm starting to think we were heading the wrong way. I was confirmed when we got out of the forest at evening time and found the Lake of Dusk. As usual, it was really beautiful to look at in the evening, but we were way off course. Thankfully, we were right next to a path. Going north, we could see a city there. I must be honest. I wanted to check out the city. I think Choco noticed because she suggested it immediately. Of course, I jumped at the chance. Hi, hi._

* * *

The city of Merkath was astounding. Built right into the mountain itself, it was a city of dwarven make.

"Mostly dwarves, but there are a lot of other races living here as well," informed Choco, "Merkath mostly relies on mining to fund the city, so they have to trade for food. Hunting helps but not by much."

"You think we can find someone to identify this?" asked Subaru, fiddling with the eyeglasses.

"I'm sure we can."

"Maybe find an inn first before making plans in the middle of the street," snarked Towa.

"Fair enough," agreed the fighter.

After getting directions from a guard, they entered the rather homely building.

"Welcome to the Whetstone. How many rooms do ya need?" greeted a jovial dwarf with a red beard.

"One with two beds and one with three, please," requested Choco.

"Alright, here ya are. A gold piece for the rooms. If your group wants dinner, that'll be another piece, " said the dwarf as he handed over two keys.

"Good enough, sir," she replied as she handed over two gold pieces.

"Right, I'll be sending ya food up soon," he said as he waved them on.

"Right, Subaru and Rushia take this one. We can share the other," decided the tiefling as they walked upstairs to their rooms.

"Aww, let me share one room with Rushia," pleaded Matsuri.

"No," the young necromancer said immediately.

"Aww, come on..."

"No."

"I think you should let it go, Matsuri," chided Subaru, "I doubt she would change her mind."

Amidst the chuckles and grumblings, they went to their rooms. They settled in for the night after partaking their dinner.

* * *

_Relief could not be imagined. I was honestly worried that we would be too drained to get into another fight. Thankfully, the spiders weren't too hard. It could have been harder. Call us lucky. Back to the city though, we quickly found buyers for the gems we found. The armor... the plate armor, when fully reassembled, impressed the smith quite a bit. Since it hasn't been used at all, we got a lot of gold for it. Using some for repairing our stuff was a given. Matsuri bought more arrows. Then, we sought out someone who could check the glasses out._

* * *

"Hmm, interestin' item ya got 'ere," muttered the dwarven jeweler as he examined it with his own pair of eyeglasses, "Where di'ya find it?"

"Well, it was on a corpse near an ettercap nest?" answered Subaru, not really knowing what to call that monster's home, "Do you know what does it do?"

"Aye, I do," he replied as he laid it down on the counter, "These lenses help ya' see in the dark. Dinae why they put it on a flimsy frame like this. Why, it'd snap in half if ya 'ply any pressure init."

"So… can you put them on something else?" she asked, wondering if he could do anything else with it. Maybe in a helm or…

"Well, I can put in a betta' frame and put a tight strap on it to kip in ya 'ead," he suggested, "A tougher, more sturdy frame wou' do it."

"Oooh… that sounds expensive though… how much would it cost?" she asked.

"Well… we kin' make 'em frames with mithral. Tough and light.," he mused, "Good quality leather for straps. I say… eight hundred gold."

"Eh, that's a lot," she muttered, "What goes into this?"

"Ma' brother's a blacksmith. I kin get some stuff from 'im, but I'd 'ave ya know that making the mould and using mithral is expensive but worth the price. It'll be hard to bend or break and lasts longer than yer armor, I rekin'. This wi' also take some time ta' get right." He paused and then suggested, "If ya find it too much, mehbe ya kin do somethin' fer the fella's at the mine. "

"Well, we can pay, no worries," she assured him, though curious about what he said, "And, we wouldn't mind helping out with any problems the mine might have."

"Aye! Mighty kind of ya," he replied with a grin, "Right, ya go to the mine an' tell the foreman Ragnar Emberheart sent ya. He'll tell ya what's up."

After thanking him, the party headed straight for the mining office. The large dwarf got up and shook hands with Subaru after she told him about what Ragnar said.

"Ah, that old man, ha, ha," he said jovially as he sat down again, "Right, nice to see some young 'uns doing something useful to help."

"So, do you need help with anything?" she asked.

"Aye, I do. We have run into a little problem in one of the newer branches we opened up," he informed them as he unfurled a map, "Only recently, we found signs of an umber hulk burrowing around that area. While some of the miners think that this is a good thing, but those are the risk-takers. I don't want to lose miners to an overgrown bug."

"Hmm, I don't think we ever fought one before," muttered the fighter.

"I wouldn't imagine you would. These things won't be walking around in the sun. Too bright, you see," he continued to explain, "I remember an earlier time where we found an umber hulk nest at the younger days of the mine. So many miners dead... and we had to hire a group of adventurers to help us. So, we need to get on top of this before it gets worse."

"Anything we need to know?"

"Honestly, I don't know. A lot of the surviving miners talk about suddenly losing their minds when they looked at it," he stated as he kept the map away, "I asked the party… what was left of them, they talked about random bouts of suddenly running away or running towards the beast. I dinae what happened, but it sounds like some mind trickery going on."

"Well, I'm not sure what we could do to fight that, but we'll try our best," admitted Subaru.

"Thank you. A'ight, follow me. I'll show you to the branch in the mine," he stated as he got up from his table and walked out of the office. Then, he led them down into the mines.

The tunnels were lit up with torches. The wooden beams looked old, with the newer branches having newer-looking beams. Eventually, they reached the intended branch. The foreman approached a hastily made set of double-doors and unlocked it.

"Right, this is where we part," the foreman informed them, "I'll lock you in and wait for all of you here. There are several hulk-made tunnels up ahead. Be careful. If you can't find it… well, we can always come back tomorrow."

"Alright, sir. Take care," wished the fighter as the door closed behind them. Up ahead, torches also lined the walls, but the intervals between them were wider.

"Let's get prepared for this," Choco told them, "Then, we keep a sharp eye for anything strange."

"As long as there aren't any spiders, I'm fine with it," muttered Towa with a shudder.

* * *

_The first day was tiring, to be honest. We randomly chose one tunnel and trekked all the way to the end. The tunnels were quite large and spacious for us to walk through. Not as fortified or well made like the other side though. Still, it showed the size of the thing we had to hunt down. After not having much luck, we trekked all the way back. We continued this for several days._

_Matsuri confessed she had some difficulty tracking it. She could tell it was there but she says sometimes, the tracks just disappear into a dead-end. I have a sneaking feeling that it was collapsing its own tunnels to stop us from tracking it. Somehow, it knew we were there… then again, who am I kidding? It probably does know we are here right now. I just hope we can beat it in a straight-up fight and none of the mind trickery nonsense._

* * *

They trudged down another tunnel with the scout taking the lead. They kept a careful ear out for any strange noises that might be a signal for an umber hulk attack. It suddenly opened up to a small cavern.

"Huh, did it sleep here?" asked Subaru.

"I don't see any bones," muttered Matsuri, "Does it know how to clean up after itself?"

"That would imply it is clever enough to do so," commented Towa.

"Shh, listen," hushed Choco. Silence interspersed with... faint digging sounds?

"Is it near or is it something else?" whispered the warlock, worry showing on her face.

"I think-"

Before the scout could say anything, the umber hulk suddenly burst through the cavern wall, charging straight at them while taking a few of them by surprise. Almost immediately after locking eyes with it, Subaru could feel a strange sensation traveling through her head. Her mind went blank.

* * *

Matsuri blinked. " _Why am I facing the wall_?" she wondered inwardly. Thinking back, the last thing she remembered was the umber hulk that they had been hunting burst out of the wall… wait a minute...

"Back to whence you came!"

She quickly spun around, catching sight of the large umber hulk disappearing and fading from sight. Choco was raising her shield against it, her whole body aglow with power. Then, everyone started looking around in confusion.

"That… we have to close our eyes. It needs to lock eyes with us to mess with our minds," the tiefling informed them, then she motioned at the place where it was standing, "It was here. When my spell ends, it will be back in this spot."

"Alright, I'll be in front," said Subaru quickly, "Choco behind me and behind her, everyone else."

Everyone nodded and took their positions immediately.

"Ready?" asked the tiefling cleric once everyone was in place. Getting sounds of confirmation from everyone, she then mutters a few quiet words and motioned to the spot in front of the fighter. The umber hulk reappeared with a roar. Everyone quickly closed their eyes. She could hear Choco, Rushia, and then Towa chanting and unleashing their spells. She could hear Subaru's shield getting attacked, and then she could hear the retaliation swing of her longsword. She could hear the monster roar but it was quite loud. It sounded like it was everywhere at once. Nocking two arrows to her bows, she pulled back and let them loose. No roaring.

" _Tch, I think I missed_ ," she mused mentally. But, that was expected as she wasn't able to shoot with her eyes open.

She then heard Choco and Rushia chanting, followed by an extra loud cry from the umber hulk.

Silence.

Matsuri opened her right eye slightly, peeking through her eyelids. The hulk was flat on its back on the floor. It was unmoving. Not even a twitch from its antennae. "I think it's dead. We did it," she declared as her eyes opened fully.

The cavern echoed with sighs of relief. "I'm glad that was over with," stated Subaru, "I don't want my mind to be messed around with. Never again."

"Anyway… let's get back to the foreman," stated Towa, glancing at the dead monster, "Hmm, maybe get some reward while we're at it."

"We are helping them while waiting for the glasses," corrected the fighter.

"Sure, sure," waved off the half-devil.

* * *

"Ha, ha! Foreman's impressed wit' ya!" exclaimed the dwarven jeweler with a grin, "Ahm sure the rest of the miners are grateful to ya as well." He then handed off a pair of goggles, "Ere' ya go! One pair of night-vision goggles."

"Nice!" cheered Subaru as she looked it over. The smooth, silvery metal-framed the green lenses beautifully. The brown leather strap completed it with a more practical look. Then, the thought of who would be using this. She didn't really know who to give this too.

"Thanks for your help, sir," she finally said as she handed over the pouch of gold pieces.

"Aye, thank ye' very much," he replied, "Right, would ye' like anythin' else?"

"Well, you have quite the selection here," stated Choco, "What do most of these do?"

"Well, most o' these are resistance rings," he informed them, puffing himself up with pride, "Each stone ere' holds an enchantment to protect yer' against certain things, mostly magic o' the elements. Expensive stuff. Five thousand each."

"...That's a lot..." murmured Matsuri, suddenly feeling a little afraid to ask further.

"What about the cheaper rings and necklaces?" asked the tiefling.

"Well, some can help yer walk on water, unhindered swimmin', breathe in bad air, mind protection, utility stuff mostly," he explained further.

If Subaru had to be honest, they didn't really need any of the utility jewelry at that moment. The mind protection stuff would have been nice when fighting the umber hulk, but eventually, they made do without it. Still, she couldn't think of anything that could happen that would require the use of such things. So, she thanked the dwarven jeweler again and led her party to the inn.

"So, who do we give the goggles to?" she asked as they sat around the table, waiting for their food.

"Well, why not Rushia?" suggested Towa, much to everyone's surprise, "The times that we fought in the dark, you defended us pretty well and your reactions are as quick as Matsuri's. Both she and Rushia would be reliant on Choco, who can help target enemies in the dark. However, I think Rushia would work better taking down one enemy while those two took care of another."

Silence went around the table before Subaru said, "You really are a helpful person, you know?"

"Wh-wh-what? I'm not being nice!" she protested vehemently with a blush on her face, "I am just showing off my strategic brilliance! Now, praise me!"

"You are truly the nicest, most helpful person I've met," the tiefling immediately teased.

"What? T-take that back immediately!" the half-devil insisted amidst the laughter.

**AN: Hello, readers. Today, Subaru and friends help out in a mining city while getting a set of useful goggles. I had thought that an umber hulk would be a useful distraction. Little did I know that the confusion gaze was... not kind And this was just one hulk. The first two rounds I simulated? Everyone had difficulty passing the Charisma save, even Towa and Choco. Those two are supposed to have proficiency in Charisma saves but the d20 just refused to give anything that helped to get past the DC15 gaze. Only in the 3rd round that Choco got past it and banished it. Only after getting their bearings could they get a handle on things. You just have bad rolls sometimes. Imagine the horror if it were a real game. Hell, Rushia was one multiattack away from getting downed.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we journey back to the capital. Again.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

_We stayed in Merkath for another night before leaving. At the gate of the city, we found a trade caravan that was heading out with a shipment for the capital. Since we were heading the same way, we joined them. Maybe we could stop by Dusktown and visit Roboco. I wonder how she is doing right now…_

* * *

"HOLD!"

Subaru wondered why the caravan train suddenly stopped. A dwarven guard motioned them to speak with him. "Something strange in front. One of the help noticed a gold piece on the ground and noticed a trail of them going into the forest," he told them as he led them to the front.

Sure enough, there was a trail of gold pieces leading into the forest at one piece per foot. "If you want to head in, be our guest," stated the dwarf, "We'll wait for you lot to come back."

"Sure, thanks for letting us know," she replied with a grin.

"Aye, don't take too long now, you hear, or we'll leave without you."

Heading into the underbrush, they followed the trail into the forest. At times, the pieces were hard to see but thanks to Matsuri, they could follow the trail just fine. Soon, they collected a hundred gold pieces and it led into a clearing. Right in the middle of the clearing was a sturdy looking treasure chest.

"...This screams ambush," muttered the fighter after a moment of thought.

"But we won't be able to find out what's in the chest without triggering it," countered Towa.

"Well, we just have to be cautious and alert, right? Shouldn't be much of a problem," reasoned Choco.

"Alright, let's go," decided Subaru as she was the first to step out of the treeline.

The party of five surrounded the treasure chest. Almost immediately, shouts started sounding out and six bugbears ran from behind the trees. They immediately went for everyone else except the fighter, which surprised her to no end. Granted, all she did was stay in place and on the defensive. Meanwhile, Choco and Matsuri quickly retaliated with spell and weapon. The signature spirit mace materialized, missing one bugbear entirely.

Subaru quickly went to Rushia's side and attacked the bugbear that gouged her arm while the young necromancer grabbed its face with a shadow-wreathed hand and took back some health. The fighter then stabbed it through the heart and moved on to help the tiefling. At the same time, Towa roasted the bugbear that bled her arm in retaliation. Then she stepped through the mist, reappearing and blasting another. Matsuri skewered that one in the heart and fended off another persistent bugbear.

However, with their numbers cut down by half, the two, more injured, bugbears started running away. Subaru and Choco tried to strike them down as they ran but to no avail. Rushia sent a sickly green ray at the remaining bugbear that Choco smashed to the ground with the spirit mace. Meanwhile, Towa laughed and sent two separate beams of crackling energy flying into the trees. Much to the fighter's awe, it swerved between the trees and hit the fleeing bugbears. One got sent flying into a tree and breaking its back. The other just got vaporized into ashes.

"Hah, nobody escapes this devil," she gloated proudly.

"You can certainly be brutal at times," snarked the tiefling as she healed Matsuri's wounds.

"Yes, praise me more," the half-devil encouraged.

Shaking her head, Subaru turned her attention to the treasure chest. It was a normal wooden chest, large enough to fit probably some smaller equipment or maybe even many bags of coin.

"Subaru, there's something strange about this chest," said the scout.

"Hmm? What's so strange?" asked the fighter, wondering what this was about.

"Some of the grass is bending and sticking to the chest."

"Eh?" she murmured as she took a little closer. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, even with what the scout said. "I don't really see anything different," she admitted.

"You really should listen to your friend."

"...Eh?" she sounded.

The chest suddenly smiled with big monstrous teeth. Four ember-colored eyes opened on the lid. It then moved its mouth, saying in a growling sort of voice, "Greetings, and thank you for killing those bugbears."

They just stared at it, mouths agape.

"Oh, shut your mouths, I am not an apothecary like your friend there," it faux scolded. After a few seconds of inactivity, it sighed and said, "Well, I would ask you to take me back to my master, but apparently you would prefer to gawk and stare like I'm a ghost."

"...I want a pet like you," muttered Towa in awe.

"You already have one shapechanger, so no."

"Wait! Let… me get this right," shouted Subaru, silencing everyone else. After taking a breath to calm down, she said, "The chest is alive and it wants us to take it back to its master. Am I right, so far?"

"Yes."

"...We can do that. Just… it will be very strange to move you around like this," she admitted.

"And I cannot change back, else I drop my master's belongings," it murmured, "And my body is very sticky."

"Can you make your form have handles on the side? We can wrap them with leaves to hold on to them," suggested Rushia suddenly.

"...Clever girl." It then sprouted a pair of bronze-colored handles on its side.

"Alright, we should be able to get you to your master with no problem at all," declared the fighter. Then, she asked, "Also… who is your master and where does he live."

"Ah, his name is Lord Wilford and I served his family for hundreds of years," it stated, "Just tell him that you are here to return Barry. And thank you for your help."

* * *

_It fell to Choco and I to carry Barry back to the caravan. We had trouble trying to get it on the cart and in the end, Choco wrapped it in her displacement cloak and pushed it in with the ingots. Hopefully, it doesn't do anything… dumb… Anyway, we continued on our way to the capital. Eventually, we arrived at Dusktown. It seems the caravan train usually stops here and they stay for the night. The locals still welcomed us warmly. And to our surprise, we were directed to Roboco's house._

* * *

"Haroboo," Roboco greeted them with a radiant smile, "It's nice to see you again."

"Roboco! You have a new house!" exclaimed Subaru as she hugged the archer.

"It's thanks to the mayor," she replied as she returned the hug, "I'm eternally thankful to the town. So, I do my best to help support in any way I can."

"I'm wondering though, why were we directed here?" asked Choco.

"Well, this is a relatively big house, so I have a few extra rooms here," she informed them as she moved to hug everyone else, "The mayor said the extra rooms are for you to use in case you come here again. A home away from home, in his words."

"Cool," Matsuri muttered in awe, "I don't know what you did here but I'm glad to be here all the same."

"Very impressive," commented Towa.

"Well, what brings you to Dusktown, Subaru?" asked the archer. After getting filled in with what they were doing, she continued, "Well, make yourselves a home. This house is yours to use as well as mine."

* * *

They spent a peaceful, uneventful night in the house. Fully rested, they got ready to leave with the caravan. Getting well-wishes from Roboco and the rest of the townspeople, they continued their journey. It was uneventful, but Matsuri had a bright idea to help Subaru with her dwarvish lessons. Between the scout and another dwarven guard, the fighter had ample practice and she was very thankful for it.

They reached Rivirapolis safely and after saying goodbye to the caravan, they made their way to the nobles district. After asking guards for directions to the home of a 'Lord Wilford', they made their way with Barry in tow. It wasn't walled off nor was it surrounded by a garden. It was simply just a large house. Knocking the door, a handsome man with a perfectly sculpted mustache answered the door. He wore a night robe the color of crushed velvet with black trim. He asked in a deep and smooth voice, "Yes?"

"Erm, are you Lord Wilford?" asked the fighter with a grin, "We are here to return Barry to you."

"Do you now?" he muttered as he widened his eyes. He opened his door wide and said, "Please, come in."

They entered with the mimic in tow. They set it down in the middle of the floor as the lord closed the door. "Alright, we're here Barry," she said.

"Thank you," it sounded as the wrapped up chest suddenly shuddered and a black, slimy thing oozed out from the cloak. It then reformed into the chest with eyes and teeth. "Hello again, sir. Your things are in the cloak," it stated.

"Big Box Barry. Welcome home, old bean," he said jovially as he parted the cloak and picked up several heavy bags, "I trust the journey to be pleasant?"

"Other than bugbears kidnapping me, yes," snarked the mimic as Choco retrieved her cloak.

"Wonderful," he exclaimed. Turning to face the party, he said gratefully, "Thank you for returning my dear friend to me. Mmm, I suppose I should reward you for this… if only to keep you quiet."

He spun around and declared, "Well! Follow me! That includes you, Barry. A dear friend would like to see you again."

"Ah, I see," it droned as it suddenly grew legs and plodded along after him. The party looked at each other for a moment before following after them.

Going behind the staircase and taking several turns, they ended up in front of a door. The sign above it read 'Armory'. Pushing open the double doors, he went to the center of the room and turned to face them. "Now, as much as I would like to reward all of you with stuff of your own, but what I have is limited. I can allow you to choose one thing here. Well, except Tiny Box Tim here. He's off-limits."

The small box shuffled around on the table and looked at them with two beady blue eyes, greeting with a rough but squeaky voice, "Hi." It then caught sight of Barry and exclaimed, "Welcome back, Barry!"

"Indeed," said the chest as it settled under the table.

While the exchange happened, the party looked around the armory. A lot of different sets of leather armor as well as a variety of martial weapons. Several had a magical shine to them. Rushia and Towa stayed put while the other three looked around, lifting up some weapons and checking their balance. Subaru and Matsuri eventually rejoined them, none of the weapons seemingly interesting enough. Choco, however, still held on to a mace. Four flanges with gold trim, a symbol of the sun mounted on top, and a floating symbol of the moon in the middle of the mace's head.

"So you've made your choice?" asked Lord Wilford with a smile.

"I have. I can feel something guiding me to this," stated Choco as she returned to her friends.

"Very well. Thus is the extent of my hospitality. Now, if you don't mind, I wish to converse with my friend. Please, allow me to show you to the door," he announced gracefully.

* * *

"That was… weird," admitted Subaru as the door to the house closed behind them.

"Weird guy, living with mimics," muttered Choco as the party started heading out of the district.

"Well, most nobles have some oddity one way or another… speaking from experience of course," Matsuri informed them.

Nothing else was said between them as they slowly made their way out of the district. Then, Towa turned to face them and say, "Well, now that we have reached the capital, I shall take my leave. Goodbye."

"Hmm, well, hopefully, you don't decide to do anything bad in the city," the fighter warned.

"Those are few and far between," the half-devil waved it off nonchalantly, "No worries."

"That doesn't assure me," she muttered as the latter walked away.

"Well, we'll have to make do if she does do something wrong," said Choco as she draped her arm around the fighter's shoulders, "Come on, let's check in on Okayu and see if her investigation made any progress."

"Okay."

* * *

"Mogu, mogu, welcome back," greeted the cat girl as she waved them over to her table. Strange enough, she was sitting alone in Farun's tavern.

"Hello! Where's Korone?" replied Subaru as the party walked over and sat around the table.

"Ah, another job. She works really hard," she stated with a smile, "Well, not like I'm starved for jobs either."

"Oh? What do you have?" asked Choco, "Anything we can help with?"

"Security detail with the new ambassador. No worries, I got it covered..."

"Eh, new ambassador? Pink clothes? Looks really small with a cute crown on her head?" Matsuri suddenly asked eagerly.

"Er… yes? Why?" she asked, suddenly narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Nothing..." the scout trailed off, her face slowly going red as she looked away.

"Anyway, what has your party been up to?" asked the cat girl as her food got served.

While Choco ordered food for the party, the fighter regaled her with their adventure, from the forest to the wastes ruins and to Merkath. Of course, the water pools came up, much to Subaru's embarrassment.

"I think Korone would be jealous," Okayu said after the story was finished, "You got to fight so many enemies. If she heard this, she might have wanted to drag you to Merkath just to find an umber hulk finger."

"Nope. No, no, no, no, no, not doing it," exclaimed the fighter as she waved her hands in fear.

The former giggled and said, "Just kidding. So, what will you do now?"

"Honestly, I don't know," admitted the latter, "Maybe try and find out why there were so many kobolds there? There were so many. And that half-black dragon. Where did it come from?"

"That does sound strange… but, we have other things to worry about now," Okayu stated as she finished her food, "Right, time to check on her guards. Until later. My door is always open to you."

The party waved to her goodbye as they continued eating. Things were relaxed and they enjoyed themselves. Matsuri and Rushia even found out about her experiences before they met.

They left the tavern after paying for dinner. They took a slow walk back to Okayu's house, deciding to take her on her offer once more. However, after walking down a few streets, they were surprised to find Towa, out of all people. She looked tired and was breathing heavily. When she saw them, she ran over to them and grabbed Subaru by the shoulders, an anxious look in her eyes.

"Thank the gods I found you," she exclaimed gratefully, "Please… help me."

She then passed out.

"Towa!" they shouted out with worry.

Subaru picked her up and they hurried over to Okayu's house. Pulling out the bench and laying her down on it, she then moved aside to let Choco check-up on her.

"She is tired out. She'll recover soon after resting a little," the tiefling announced, "There is also bruising over her hands and knees, like she fell down or something. Based on how tired she is, she's been running hard, like she was being chased. I think she's been trying to escape an attacker or attackers"

"Who in the world would attack her?" muttered the fighter, "Did someone find out about her… devil thing?"

"It could be many other things," the former admitted, "Thankfully, she escaped and found us instead. Who knows-"

Towa woke up with a yell. "Shh, you are in safe hands," she assured the half-devil as she hugged her by the shoulders.

"Did you see who attacked you?" asked the scout.

"I… Invisible..." was all the half-devil sputtered out as she caught her breath.

"Invisible? What-" started Subaru but she froze as she could suddenly feel her hair stand on end. Looking around, she could see Choco and Matsuri tense up as well. Slowly they got to their feet and drew their weapons. Rushia copied their actions, though she didn't understand why they were suddenly acting like this.

"Is it here?" the fighter asked.

"Maybe. Stay alert just in case," muttered the scout.

Suddenly, the door was flung open. "Mogu, mogu… what are you doing?" started Okayu but was very confused as to why everyone had drawn their weapons.

"Erm, you see..."

**AN: Hello, readers. As you can see, I've decided to do something weird. A cameo of a Youtuber not involved with Hololive. Who owns and is friends with mimics. Two of them named Big Box Barry and Tiny Box Tim. I am not sorry. Anyway, that little sidetrack will give way to another troubling development. Why is Towa being hunted? Hmmmmmmmmm...**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we will pick a fight.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

_It was a little embarrassing, as it looked like we were going to attack someone in their own house. But after explaining the situation to her, Okayu pretty much agreed with our caution. Although, she wished we didn't bring her here as it could potentially lead to a battle happening in her house. Funny thing about that…_

* * *

A breath of cold wind blew through the house as Subaru asked, "So… what can we do to keep her safe?"

"Well, first of all, who attacked Miss Towa?" asked Okayu as she closed the door, "She says it's invisible. Was it really? Could it be that she hadn't lit the candles and someone attacked her in the darkness? Or maybe-"

A harsh hiss suddenly echoed through the air. Choco immediately started chanting, just as Towa suddenly gurgled and grabbed her throat. Before everyone's eyes, she was whisked up into the air and a gust of wind blew by as something slammed into her stomach. She was then lifted up and slammed into the ceiling of the house. The fire at the open kitchen began dancing in accordance to the wind as it picked up.

"What in the world is this!?" shouted Matsuri as she ran to the stairs and shot two arrows at the invisible attacker. Her arrows struck something and floated in mid-air as the being shifted around.

"Let her go!" yelled Subaru as she jumped on the table and began swinging her longsword right under the half-devil. Surprisingly, there was some resistance on the blade as she felt the sword cut something.

"My goddess shall light the way," chanted the tiefling as she threw a blast of light at it, its form being outlined by glittering dimness.

"Out of my house!" the cat girl shouted as she got over her surprise and raised her crossbow, planting two bolts into it.

They didn't know who was attacking Towa, but the invisible being seemed to ignore everything they were throwing at it. It continued to pummel Towa into the ceiling, as indicated by her gasps and groans. Two more arrows flew true into it while Rushia recovered and shot a beam of darkness at it. Apparently, it was enough to distract it, as Towa disappeared into a puff of mist and reappeared in the corner of the room. She sent two blasts of crackling energy at the invisible being, which prompted a hollow moan. Then, they only heard the crackling fire.

"Is it gone?" asked the scout.

"I… think so? Nothing is hitting her," said the tiefling as she pointed at the half-devil.

"-cough- hah, sure, laugh it up," growled out Towa with a pout, "Maybe I can summon something invisible and have it attack you instead."

"Are you alright to answer a few questions?" asked Okayu as she walked up to her, "So, any idea as to who might want to hurt you?"

"Really? We're doing this now?" the former snarked, glaring at her, "...Fine, I don't know. I was just as surprised as you were when I was attacked in my own house."

"Can she stay here for the night?" asked Subaru after having gotten off the table, "Sorry for dirtying the table, by the way."

"Well, I guess she can," the cat girl replied, "And you can wash the table in the morning."

She sighed and said, "Alright, let's get Towa to bed."

* * *

_Thankfully, nobody got attacked in their beds that night. However, when morning came, Towa was still a bit too scared to go back home and pretty much shut herself in the room. Choco went out to do her thing and Rushia spent her time studying in the other room. Strangely enough, Matsuri went out as well. She never mentioned talking to her friends or if she was searching for something else to do. This went on for several days but I never did anything about it. It was her time to herself and after the weirdness we went through, she probably needed it. Strangely, every evening, the time she returned to the house, she seemed to be walking on air. She never told anyone about this, so I got curious. Thus, I decided to ask Rushia to help me with something._

* * *

Rushia chanted and waved her hands over the crystal ball. Subaru, Choco, and Towa looked straight at the transparent surface as it suddenly clouded over. When the chanting was over, the clouds cleared up and revealed Matsuri being seen from a third-person view. She was pacing in some sort of waiting room with double doors. The doors open and Luna walks in, much to everyone's surprise. Well, not that much surprise. The sudden proposal the scout suddenly gave to the pink princess was quite memorable.

"What are they saying though..." muttered the fighter as they watched the two sit down and just talk, presumably.

"They are getting to know each other," stated Choco. Feeling the eyes of the other three on her, she elaborated, "I can real lips. As long as I can see them, I can read them." Then, they started making whispering motions, she added, "And now, I can't see them."

The view panned over as the view followed them walking over to the wall with a window. Matsuri then opened it and stood on the sill, extending her hand out. "Please don't tell me…" muttered Subaru. Then, after thinking for a moment, Princess Luna took her hand and they jumped out. They were still visible as the view followed them. Apparently, the ground floor was very accessible and they ran down the path to a side door. "...did she just kidnap the ambassador?" she asked.

"Well, I didn't expect her to be that persuasive," commented Towa, "I should ask her for tips."

"I'm more concerned with an angry bull and a rather annoyed cat girl," stated the tiefling, getting a wide-eyed look from the fighter, "I rather not get in trouble with the law in the capital, Subaru."

"Subaru? They are getting chased," spoked up Rushia.

"What!?" shouted the rest and they crowded around the crystal ball. True enough, two guards seem to be chasing them through the streets.

"Princess, please come back," read Choco, who then giggled and said, "Oh, my, so they were found out."

They seem to be keeping the chase to the back alley. Suddenly, Matsuri skidded to a halt and made a left. Luna followed after her and both of them continued to run. The scout went down and slid under a low gap under a wooden fence. At the same time, the princess ran and jumped onto a nearby box and then took a flying leap over the fence. She then landed in the scout's arms, who then quickly let her down. They then ran off, leaving the guards behind the fence.

"...That was cool," muttered Subaru in awe.

The two then slowed down and walked hand in hand. They encountered some children playing in a cul-de-sac. Luna watched for a while and pointed at them. Matsuri nodded and followed after the princess.

"Huh… the princess wants to play with them," summed up the tiefling. The two approached the group of children, to which she said, "They are introducing themselves. The princess expresses her wishes to play with them… eh?"

"Ah, sorry," apologized Rushia as the ball suddenly cleared up, "Time is up."

"Hmm, maybe we should find them," stated Subaru. Turning to the others, she asked, "What do you think, everyone?"

"Sure, let's go," agreed Choco, with everyone nodding in response, "I believe I know the place. Not to worry, I'll show the way."

* * *

When they reached the cul-de-sac, they found Matsuri and Luna playing with the kids. They had cloth pillows arranged in a diamond and they were playing a strange ball game. The princess hit the thrown ball and she ran around the diamond until the end while some of the other children scrambled to get the ball and throw it back to the diamond. The little girl was faster.

"Nice!" cheered the scout with joy.

"Hoh, they seem to be doing alright," commented Choco.

"Never seen this game before," muttered Subaru. It made her wonder how to play.

"Hmm, you will have to ask her majesty about it."

They spun around and found the minotaur bodyguard looming behind them, his arms crossed in front and eyes staring straight ahead. "It is rare to see my master enjoying herself," it continued, "Rarely does she ever get time to herself. It is good to see her unwind."

The two players then caught sight of the party and looked at each other. They whispered between each other and then Matsuri said, "Alright, kids. We have to go now." Cue the sounds of disappointment. "Now, now, we don't always have time to play around. But, thanks for playing with us. I'm sure Luna liked it a lot." To which, the princess nodded. With a beaming smile. "So, no worries. If we have time, we'll definitely come back and play with you all again," declared the scout, to much cheering.

The two then approached the group. "Ah, I guess you found out," she said sheepishly. Then, motioning to the princess, "Well, this is Princess Luna Himemori."

The royal ambassador was beaming even though her pink dress was stained with dust and dirt. She curtsied and said, "Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you, Luna says."

"Master, we should return to the house," stated the minotaur.

"Very well, Luna says," she replied, taking on a formal reply, Turning back to Matsuri, she said, "Thank you for accompanying me for today, Luna says." She then motioned her down, which the scout knelt down. She kissed the scout on the cheek, whispered something, and went on to return to her house, minotaur walking in step with her.

Matsuri just knelt there, shock etched on her blushing face. The shock then morphed into a smile that got bigger by the moment.

"Well, she's very happy right now," commented Towa.

"Very obvious," said Okayu, surprising everyone else there. Except the scout, who was still on cloud nine.

"When did you get here?" asked Subaru incredulously.

"I move fast," was the mysterious reply. Glancing at the scout, she continued, "Still, I wish you didn't run off with the princess. I'm supposed to help protect her and you make things difficult when you run off with her like that. The guard captain doesn't want a repeat of what happened to the previous one, after all. So, could you please not do that again?"

This shook the scout out of her daydream. "I just want to spend some time with her," she muttered bashfully.

"Matsuri, that's fine and all but… what!?" she suddenly yelled as she raised her shield, She caught sight of someone popping out of the roof in the building opposite and shooting at her. The crossbow bolt buried itself into the shield. She noted a drop of green liquid falling off it, hissing as it splashed on the floor.

"After him!" she shouted as she raced towards the building, pulling the bolt out of her shield. The rest raced after her. Immediately, the cloaked figure booked it.

On the approach, Okayu shouted, "I'll go to the roof for the chase. The rest take to the ground and keep an eye on him." She then raced up the wall, making use of footholds in the wall to help her scale up to the roof quickly. Choco let loose her wings and flew up to assist. The rest split up; Matsuri and Towa went round the back alley while Subaru and Rushia went round the main road.

* * *

Okayu pulled herself up and the race was on. Having lived in the city for most of her life, it was inevitable that she picked up a few skills here and there. Traversing on roofs was something that was of great benefit in her line of work. She raced across the rooftop, the target running ahead of her as nimbly as she moved. Still, she had more experience here and the distance between them slowly but surely decreased. Suddenly, the assassin made a turn and began jumping to another row. She was still able to keep up, even as the assassin continued hopping over to other rows, as the assassin had a few near misses and almost fell off the roof. However, she noticed that they were nearing the nobles district. He leaped off at the last row and she saw him land in the bushes that lined the boundary. She narrowed her eyes.

As she stopped at the top of the final roof's ridge, she noticed the would-be assassin continue running across the road and scaled one of the buildings there. As far as she knew, the building didn't seem to be lived in for a time, as shown by the messy entrance. Normally, a noble or rich person's home would be prideful of its kept appearance. There didn't seem to be anyone living there, not even a hint of a servant. Strange.

"Choco, mind getting the others here?" she requested as she heard the tiefling touching down next to her, her eyes keeping the assassin in her sight. She watched as the perpetrator scaled up the wall nimbly and entered through an open window at the very top of the roof, where she presumed the attic would be.

"I see," muttered the cleric, making her think that she probably noticed the same thing, "I'll be back soon." She then felt a breeze, signifying the departure. She skillfully made her way down to the edge of the roof and waited. It didn't take long before the rest of Subaru's party arrived. She jumped down and landed on her feet.

"Alright, here's what we have now," she informed them as she kept her eyes peeled to the roof, "We might have them cornered in that building over there. I don't know the layout, so we'll have to make do. We cover both the front and the back while Choco and I go up through the roof. Hopefully, we catch them before they throw themselves out the window and escape again."

Everyone looked determined, the supposed target for assassination even more so. They nodded and everyone went on to their positions.

"I hope we don't run into a fight," muttered Choco as they arrived at the open attic window, "Not sure if we are ready."

"I think it's a bit too late for that now," she replied as she peeked inside, "Clear."

She slunk in the bare attic. The trapdoor down was open. Quietly going over and peeking down, she noticed the ladder and nothing else. She slowly stepped down the ladder without a sound. Nothing. Strange enough, all the doors on the floor were open.

"Something weird is going on," she stated as she stepped off the ladder, "It sounds empty."

"Seems so," agreed the tiefling, following after her.

After taking a moment to check the rooms, which were empty despite having signs of being lived in before, they headed downstairs. What she found were four very puzzled adventurers.

"Nobody down here," informed Subaru, "Strange thing is that the study is fully furnished. Everything else is just… not all there. We didn't find anyone here."

That definitely sounded extremely strange to Okayu. "Alright, in that case, let's check the study. Lead the way. Don't forget to keep your eyes and ears open just in case."

Hopefully, they could find some real answers. The study was indeed fully furnished. A whole row of bookshelves on one side, a desk and chair in the middle opposite the door, and many, many decorations. Two large rugs paved the way to the main desk with a leather-padded chair and wide table on each. Four swords and a suit of exotic plate armor complete with a sword and shield decorated the other side of the wall. The bottom portion of the wall was paneled hardwood while the upper portion was covered with a set of wallpaper that depicted floral paints.

"Wow, rather fancy," commented Towa as she sat in one of the chairs while Matsuri sat in the other.

While the rest marveled at the decor, the cat girl walked up to the desk and started poking around in the drawers. Strange enough, there weren't that many things to be found, leading her to wonder why decorate this place so extravagantly at all. Then, she found a piece of paper with the words 'My Apologies'. Her ears twitched and wondered what the words could mean. Then, she heard the crash of metal. Looking up, she noticed the doorway suddenly barred by multiple iron bars which she noticed had pierced through the wooden floor. To their credit, some of the party took this in stride as everyone drew out what weapons they had while Choco started chanting in preparation.

"Erm, did anyone pull anything or press anything?" asked Matsuri worriedly.

However, the cat girl had her brow furrow when she noticed one of the carpets beginning to twitch a little. And then…

"Well, it seems you have bitten off more than you could chew."

**AN: Hello, readers. So... if it wasn't so obvious, I used an Invisible Stalker. It is an air elemental that can be summoned to assassinate people. This merely a hint of things to come. After that night, we have some... Matsuri gets to know Luna a little better. Nanora being just referring to oneself, so it becomes Luna says. Fits since it says she refers to herself in third person. And then, another assassination attempt. This time, target: Subaru. Time for Okayu to pull out some Assassin's Creed rooftop running. The chase ends in someone else's house and the party pretty much walks into a trap.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we will pick a fight.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

_While it was funny that Matsuri looked like that, the assassin was not needed. Why, gods, why? I do not purposely go looking for trouble, so why is all this… no matter. I will overcome this. I will get over this obstacle and triumph again. Alright, calm down. We can get through this alive. We can do it. First, we have to get out of this room_ …

* * *

"Who are you!?" called out Subaru, drawing out her longsword.

The voice chuckled before continuing, "You wouldn't know of me, like I wouldn't know of you. It would have been that way for many months until it was too late. However, fate has decided to bring you to the forefront and disrupt my plans for this place."

"What did I do?" she asked. Meanwhile, the rest tried figuring out where the voice was coming from.

"I had followers and pets in place to grow and expand my forces," the voice started to ramble, "You may not know, but I find it very odd that you somehow stumble on my forces and kill them all. All was not bad, as the main backbone of my army still remained. And yet… you and your friends took my sons from me. My two strongest. And I cannot abide that slight. I swore to hunt you down and make you suffer."

"Sons? What?" she sputtered out in disbelief.

"What are you playing at? What are you planning?" asked Choco. At the same time, she motioned at the jewel in the middle of the armor's chest plate.

"Heh, as if I would reveal my plans to you," the voice sneered.

"Your plans involve the city, don't they?" stated Okayu suddenly, "You talk about Subaru disrupting some sort of plan. You speak of followers, pets, and an army. Are you invading Rivirapolis? To what end?"

"Ahh, it seems the cat got dragged in instead," it taunted, "Truly unexpected. And you would be a fool to assume that I would answer those questions. All you have to know that you have delayed my plans for the last time. Kill them all."

The gem glowed and a flash of light burst out of it, blinding everyone momentarily. As everyone got their sight back, the carpets, the armor, and the swords had come to life with a red glow around them and were now moving towards the trapped party.

Okayu instinctively shot at the nearest sword and unfortunately missed. Matsuri, who was the nearest to the swords, escaped with a few nicks before shooting her arrows and cracking the gem on the cat girl's target. Choco continued her chanting as she waved her hand in the party's direction, the blessings of her goddess falling on them. The rest of the animated object surged forward. The swords were fended off easily, but the rugs snaked around the fighter and the warlock, wrapping around them and trapping them in place. The helmed horror merely stepped forward and stabbed as the fighter struggled to break out.

"Argh," she shouted before pulling herself up and out of the coiled-up carpet.

The armor focussed on its task, Rushia took this chance to shoot a beam of enervating energy, striking it in its head. Meanwhile, Towa stepped out of a burst of mist, escaping her rug's clutches. She then sent two blasts of eldritch energy at the one trying to re-embrace Subaru and blasting it away into the wall. It crashed into the wooden paneling, singed and scorched.

The bounty hunter and ranger turned their attention to the next sword, pelting it with arrows and bolts. Meanwhile, the cleric summoned the familiar spirit mace and pulled out her new one, which started glowing brightly. Both spirit mace and its summoner took down their respective targets quickly, the blasted rug and the pelted sword. The remaining two swords headed straight for Subaru, who easily fended them off with shield and sword, while the remaining rug snaked up to Matsuri and wrapped around her. At the same time, the helmed horror flew out of the fighter's reach through magic after another attempt at her. With a shout, she fought back and slashed her blade into the nearest sword, both blows cracking the gem on it. The flying sword next to it got its gem shattered by Okayu's arrows, falling to the ground with its magic dissipated.

Meanwhile, Rushia and Towa tried to get the last rug to release the scout… by blasting it with magic. It got scorched, rotted all over, and eventually blasted into the nearby table as it continued to constrict her.

"Argh!" Matsuri shouted as she timed her escape right after it clenched, "Stop hitting me too! I felt all of that."

"Then don't get caught," replied the young necromancer.

"Be glad we helped," sneered the half-devil.

Choco charged in like an avenging angel, smashing the gem on the last sword, while the spirit mace tried attacking the armor and missing. However, that left her open as the rug went after her instead, binding and constricting her.

"Argh!" she shouted as she was stabbed in the back by the horror, who flew out of reach again.

"Let her go!" yelled Subaru as she came over and started hacking the rug, taking care not to hit the tiefling in the process. Unfortunately, Rushia and Towa got a similar idea and the party cleric got blasted away and sent crashing into the wall next to the barred entrance with a cry of pain. At the very least, that final burst of the arcane blew a sizable chunk of the rug to bits and set her free.

Weathering the missiles sent its way, the helmed horror shuddered as the spirit mace slammed into its back. It avoided a blast of light from Choco as it landed and proceeded to attack. It's longsword sliced through after images as she dodged its swings. The fighter took this chance to move and swung, slicing through the gaps in between the plate. Another wave of magic sent its way knocked it into the iron bars. More arrows and bolts were sent its way and the tiefling finished it off with her glowing mace, knocking its helm off. The rest of the armor stopped glowing and collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Gods, that was painful," she muttered exasperatedly, "Stupid rugs."

"You can say that again," grumbled Matsuri in agreement, "Too close for me."

"I think you can relax for now," said Okayu as she looked around, "As far as I can tell, as long as nothing else comes alive, we just need to figure out how to unbar the doorway."

"I think not, my interlopers."

The floor suddenly lit up as a magic circle appeared. Before anyone could do a thing, a burst of light filled the room. As the light died down, the party had disappeared.

* * *

"Ahh!" Subaru yelled as she landed on her bottom. Getting to her feet, she rubbed her sore back as she looked around. The place was somewhat dark and dim, the only source of illumination being outside the room, coming through the small, barred window in the door. At least it was bright enough to see that everyone had come along for the ride and in one piece.

"But of course the room had a teleportation circle," grumbled Choco as she cradled her head in her hands.

"So… where are we?" asked Matsuri.

"We are either in someone's basement or in a dungeon in the middle of nowhere," answered Towa as she brushed herself down.

"Basement is the best scenario," quipped Okayu.

"Just as our lord said," stated a voice, sounding like the person was in awe, "The Dire Lord be praised."

This drew everyone to the door. A hooded figure was currently staring into the room.

"Who are you!?" shouted the tiefling.

"I am merely his servant," the hooded figure replied, "A favored servant, but a servant nonetheless. He did say all who end up in this place are to be punished. And punished you shall."

"...Did we just stumble onto a cult?" questioned the scout.

"Ah, please, my dear sir," said Towa as she suddenly started sashaying towards the door, "Please, I do not belong with these heathens."

"Is that so?" the figure replied warily.

"Traitor!" shouted the tiefling as she tried to attack the half-devil. "No, let me go!" she continued to protest as Subaru held her back.

"Look, there has to be a perfectly good reason for this," said the fighter, herself wondering why the warlock was acting this way.

"But of course, my lord," she continued to say as she gestured to her face, "Please… Listen."

The figure froze for a moment and said slowly in a monotone drone, "What would you ask of me?"

"Unlock the door, please," she ordered.

"As you wish," the hooded figure droned as they unlocked the door and opened it.

Towa grinned as she turned to face the others. "Now, traitor am I? Be grateful for my assistance. I shall seek recompense when this is over." Turning back to the hooded cultist, she asked, "Now, you must lead us out of here. We were teleported here by mistake. It is just a mistake."

"It was just a mistake," he said as he pulled down his hood, revealing a bald head and black beard, "I shall lead you out immediately."

"Alright, everyone, pick up your things. We are leaving," announced the half-devil.

The older cultist led them out of the room and into a receiving area, where several other cultists were seated around a table making small talk. One of them noticed them and walked over to them, saying, "Elder Hatak, what is going on?"

"It was a mistake," the older man told him, "They are supposed to be guests."

"What is going on?" called out a woman as she came down the stairs, wearing similar robes to his.

"This is not looking good," muttered Okayu.

"It was a mistake," the older man repeated.

The female cultist came near and narrowed her eyes. Glancing over to the party, her eyes widened and turned back to the old man. Without warning, she slapped him. "Stupid old man! The prisoners have escaped! Get them!"

Choco quickly started calling for blessings while Rushia launched a glob of necrotic energy at the old man, sucking all life out of him. At the same time, Matsuri and Subaru attacked the other fanatic, who was trying to cast a spell, and grievously injured her. She ran back to a door in the corridor and slammed it, shouting, "Intruders! Intruders!"

The cultists around the table rushed and surrounded Subaru, attacking with their swords. The rooms around the party were flung open. Two more cultists came out of the room the fanatic slammed on and stood in front of her as protection. The scout sun around and parried a sword with her bow. Okayu turned to face her left, a sword grazing her arm as she drew out her short sword and retaliated by slashing his chest. This led to both of them dueling each other. Concurrently shouting out her chants, Towa threw crackling bolts of energy, blasting two of the cultists near the fighter across the room.

A familiar mace materialized and slammed into another cultist, crushing him into the corner of the wall. The tiefling then joined Subaru in the cultists surrounding her. Meanwhile, Rushia helped Matsuri to take out the cultist that came out behind her by blasting her with a wave of frost.

"Kill the intruders!"

The fighter spun around and saw more cultists coming down the stairs, the fanatic pushing and egging them on. She then ran into the line, bracing against one of them with her shield while the other went past her and stabbed Choco in the back. She suddenly felt the weight of the other cultists pushing against her. Amidst the shouts and the fervent yells, she heard Towa chant out behind her, "Burn, you fools!" A bright streak sped overhead and crashed into the ceiling, filling the stone corridor with fire. She was able to shield her face but the rest of her body that was unprotected got the full blast of the spell. She grit her teeth and powered through the pain. Lowering her shield, she saw only blackened corpses of the cultists. Resisting the urge to empty her stomach, she turned away from the sight, only to witness Okayu dispatching the last of them.

"Now what was that bright idea of tossing that fireball into the crowd," growled out the tiefling as she glared at the warlock, "If Subaru were any slower, she could have died."

"Really? You should be grateful that I cut down their numbers so well," the half-devil retorted, even though she fidgeted quite noticeably, as if uncomfortable by what the cleric said.

"It's fine, Choco," assured the fighter, sporting a small grin, "I'm fine, see?"

"Well, since this is an actual cultist base… maybe we can find some clues as to what this was all about. Can you help me search the place?" requested the cat girl.

"Who knows, maybe we could find some stuff we can use ourselves," added Matsuri.

* * *

_As disturbing as that fight was, we proceeded to help Okayu search the place. The rooms that the few cultists came out from yielded some stuff. Other than the prison room we ended up in, there was a wine cellar and two storage rooms, one big and one small. The larger one seemed to have a few boxes with lots of cultist clothes with some weird symbol, presumably the symbol of their leader. It also had a box full of weapons and a smaller open box with properly packed books and rolls of paper. These things Okayu and Choco decided to read through to see what they could get from them._

_The smaller room… was a treasure room! There was a literal mountain of gold pieces… well, a small mountain, but a mountain nonetheless. There was also a treasure chest that was locked. We didn't know how to open it until Matsuri asked Okayu about it. A few seconds later, she opened it. There was only one item there and it was a dagger made of bone. Creepy. Then, Rushia picked it up_.

* * *

"Er, are you sure you should do that?" asked the scout worriedly, "What if something happens to you?"

"I hear," the young necromancer muttered, "Blood spilled with this. I don't mind it."

"Well, I hope nothing bad happens, Rushia," said the fighter as she pat the girl on the shoulder.

"If that's all, I better get back to Choco and those documents," stated the cat girl as she walked out of the room.

"So, nothing else? No weird voices telling you to kill stuff?" pressed on Matsuri, "I know this sounds paranoid, but I really have to know."

"No."

"Please stop disturbing someone who can easily turn you into a skeleton," deadpanned the fighter as she pushed all the gold pieces into the now-empty chest and closed it. Between her and the scout, they carried the chest out of the storeroom. The trio headed to the large storeroom, where the cat girl and the tiefling were still looking through the documents and the books.

"Found anything?" asked Subaru as they set the chest down.

"Details on hideouts and safe houses, surprisingly," stated Okayu as she shuffled some papers around, "So far, nothing stands out. No mention of any Dire Lord. Whatever names written in these will need to be checked. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are fake names or even fake documents to throw us off just in case these were found."

"These are ledgers," continued Choco as she held up one of them, "These guys had been planning something for a long time. Nothing here says what, though. It could be anything."

"Still, these should be enough to cripple the cult enough for us to figure out their master plan," the gat girl said with a smile, "Good job, everyone." Getting smiles and smirks around, she continued, "Alright, wait for me here while I report this to the guards. I'll be right back."

**AN: Hello, readers. Fights one after another. Yeah, after getting out of animated objects, the party faces cultists. Cultists are easy enough. Animated objects? Especially those rugs. You try attacking the rugs while they are hugging(wrapped around) another person, you hurt that other person too. Hence, Matsuri and Choco getting quite drained after that fight. The leadup to the cultist fight, Towa makes use of her charms of a half-devil most effectively. Up until the second fanatic interferes. Investigations into the cult. Commence.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, a bit more downtime. Who knows? Maybe a new character.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

_The fireball was painful, but the fact that we were able to expose a cult in the city made it worth it. We still have no idea why there was a cult here but hopefully, Okayu and the guards could figure this out. After that incident, we decided to take it easy once more. That left me alone again, with everyone else doing their own thing. Other than Towa, who finally went back to her own home. It was a house like any other house. Yet, her house had a basement. I wasn't allowed down there, so I presumed that it was where she kept her… where she kept the bad stuff. I probably didn't want to know what's down there. Instead, I decided to visit the nearest guardhouse, where I discovered something interesting. I was directed to a training house where you can pay a trainer to teach you stuff but if you don't need any training, you can make use of the training dummies there. And that's what I did. A week passed and strange enough, Towa came to see us on the evening of the seventh day, while we were at Farun's tavern._

* * *

"Hello. Do you need anything, Towa?" asked Subaru inquisitively.

"I suppose the lot of you have been trying to find out more of this cult," she said as she took a seat after pulling a chair from another table, pushing Matsuri and Rushia aside.

"Well, I shouldn't really be saying this, but since you were crucial in finding this out..." stated Okayu, the others listening intently, "The guard conducted several raids on the houses. Most of them were correct. After going through the documents and scouting out the places, of course. True enough, the real name of this Dire Lord still eludes us. I don't even know if we are making a dent in the cult as we don't know how big it is."

"Cults like these would be following an elemental prince, a demon lord or an archdevil," the young necromancer interjected, as if repeating a fact straight from a book. Turning to the half-devil, she asked, "Know something, don't you?"

The one in question smirked and stated, "Some. After gaining some insight, the cult is led by a powerful being. I wasn't told who or what, but it aims to overthrow the king and take the kingdom for itself." She then lost the smirk and continued, "The mysterious artefact I was rooting for in the ruins? It was claimed by the cult. The kobolds and that half-black dragon? Also linked to the cult."

"A dragon cult… sounds difficult..." muttered the fighter.

"...I can't join you..." muttered the scout softly.

"Eh? Why?" the former asked.

"Luna has finished her dealings here in the capital," she informed them with a tinge of pink on her cheeks, "She is getting ready to leave tomorrow morning... to report back to her father. I… She invited me to come along with her. I want to go."

The table fell silent. Subaru then grinned, "Huh, well, I can't stop you. It sounds like a chance of a lifetime and you should definitely go with her."

"Thanks!" replied Matsuri cheerfully, also relieved that her leaving was taken well.

"Right, while this started on a serious note, why not end with a little celebration for Matsuri?" suggested the fighter with a grin, "Order what you want. It's all on me."

"Here's your food, ladies," said the waitress as she served them amidst the cheers, "Need anything else?"

"Well, actually..."

* * *

"Well, I guess this is it," said Matsuri. The party, minus Towa and Okayu, had gathered outside the ambassador's house to send the scout off. The minotaur was busy helping the other servants put the luggage on the carriage and the luggage cart, her stuff included.

"Yeah. It's been nice working together with you," affirmed Subaru as she handed over a small bag to her, "Here. You've been with us since the swamp. I think I owe you some."

"Oh, nice! Thanks!" the former replied with a grin, shaking the bag and hearing the tinkle of gold pieces. Then, she admitted, "I also enjoyed adventuring with you. With all of you. Maybe one day, you can come over to Luna's kingdom and explore there."

"Oh? I do hope you can be our tour guide," chimed in Choco.

"No problem! I am your ever-reliable guide, Matsuri Natsuiro!" she exclaimed with a salute and a grin.

"Matsuri-cha, we are leaving now, Luna says," called out the princess as she took a moment to peek out of the carriage.

"Okay!" returned the scout. Turning back to the party, she waved as she said, "Goodbye. Hope to see you in the future."

They waved back and called out their goodbyes as she jumped into the carriage before it was driven away.

"I wish her happiness," stated Choco, "Now, what shall we do now?"

"We still have that cult we need to chase down," replied Subaru with a frown as they walked down the road, heading back to Okayu's house, "At least the princess has left. We can focus on taking down this cult."

"Let's check on Towa and see if she found anything," suggested the tiefling.

"Ah, let's go then."

Taking a turn and going the opposite way, the party reached the half-devil's house after several minutes. The fighter stepped up to knock on the door and the owner of the house answered, "Ah, it's you."

"Yes! So… have you found anything?" she asked.

The half-devil made a face and said, "Not really, no. I've poured through what books I have to try and find something similar but no luck. I'm starting to think this is just a new cult."

"Hmm, thanks for trying to help anyway," said Choco, who then got a smug look on her face, "Quite nice of you."

"H-h-help? I'm not being 'nice'. I-I-I just want to get back at them for trying to kill me," a red-faced Towa hastily protested, "Don't simply make baseless accusations."

"Sure..." replied the tiefling in a teasing tone.

"Alright, can we not fight out here on the street?" chided Subaru.

"Fine. Don't worry, I will call you if I find anything," the warlock told them before closing the door.

"I guess we have to wait," the former summed up as the group of three headed back to Okayu's home.

As they walked past an alley, a hooded figure peeked out from behind the corner and watched them walk past. The figure then turned around and walked away, a dragon-like tail whipping around behind them.

* * *

"Mogu, mogu! Luckily I caught you," called out the cat girl as she leaped down from the roof.

"Hello, Okayu," greeted Subaru as the party of three stopped to meet her, "Did you find anything?"

"Maybe... there has been talk around the sewer crews about shadowy figures underground," she informed them, "It might be the cult. It might not. In any case, I think it's worth checking out."

"Okay, so where do we go?" asked the fighter.

"Oh, the headquarters is the next row behind me," she stated as she thumbed behind her.

The party looked behind her and only saw a row of houses. "We can't walk over the walls like you, Okayu," deadpanned the former.

"Ah-ha, sorry," she apologized. Then, she led them around to the next row and brought them to meet the… guild leader. A rough-looking guy with a fiery-red mustache. He marched up to them and shocked the offered hand from the cat girl, "Bounty hunter, what brings you here?"

"Oh, I heard about the weird sightings in the sewer," she said as she finished shaking his hand, "I decided to help investigate and brought in some help."

"Oh, that's good to hear," he said in surprise, "Alright, I'll lead you to the basement. You can get in from there."

The entrance to the sewers was behind a steel door in the basement. The guild master pulled a lever and warned, "Brace yourselves."

As the door opened, the smell hit them like a ton of bricks.

"Urgh, what the-" exclaimed Subaru. She then noticed the cat girl looking a little woozy. "Okayu, are you alright?" she asked as she helped to steady her.

"Ah, I'm alright," she assured the fighter, "It just took me by surprise. I'll be alright."

"Want to bring Towa?" suggested Rusha while pinching her nose.

"You know, that's not a bad idea," agreed Choco with a smirk, mirroring her actions.

* * *

_Of course, they ran with that suggestion. I didn't want to trouble her but Choco and Rushia went back to Towa's house and literally dragged her here. I guess they wanted her to experience what we had. We were so relieved when the guild master actually produced the nose filters used by the sewer crews. He assured that they were cleaned after every use and that these enchanted items lessened the sewer smell. After we were done picking out the filters, the guild master showed us where the shadowy figures were sighted on his map. And so, after getting directions, we descended into the bowels of the city. The stinky bowels of the city. I'm not sure about this_ …

* * *

"Are we there yet?" asked Towa as she tried her best not to touch the sewer wall.

"No," answered Rushia. The tunnel they were walking in was quite large. They were on the walkway flanking both sides of the flowing sewage water.

"Calm down, we are reaching one of those huge rooms. From there, we should find a way to go across. Then, we need to make a right turn after that tunnel and we're there," Subaru told them.

The tunnel then opened up to a huge circular room. Three of the tunnels, including theirs, had sewage flowing into it while the pooling water flowed down into the larger fourth tunnel. A wooden bridge ran across it to allow the crews to walk over it without wading through. It was a ten-foot drop down and none of them wanted to fall in. Moving cautiously, they made their way to the bridge. They had no problem walking across. However, as they reached the opposite tunnel, they heard a strange sound, a mix between creaking wood and squelching sludge.

"What was that?" asked Choco, saying what was on everyone's mind.

"Hopefully, something not dangerous?" asked Okayu.

"Flatten yourselves against the wall. Maybe whatever it is, we can avoid getting noticed," suggested Subaru as she did so.

"I guess," muttered the tiefling as she did the same, the sounds getting louder and louder.

"I refuse. I will not dirty myself hugging scummy bricks just to avoid detection," stated Towa, standing tall and defiantly, "Let it come. I have… no… problem..."

It was large and plant-like. It was covered in knotty vines and dead flowers. It was covered in the sludge that permeated the sewers and that gave it a horrible stench. Its limbs creaked and groaned as it walked, each step and each swing of its arms permeated by that squelching sound. And it was right in front of her.

Subaru acted first, overcoming the vomit-inducing smell, slashed the nearest exposed vine. It burst, spraying its contents over the floor. Then, Rushia stepped away from the wall and exploded a wave of necrotic energy over its body. It writhed and shuddered, as if it was in pain, and large chunks of plant matter and waste fell off its body. However, it continued on its course, slamming its oversized arms on Towa and pressing her into its body. It's remaining vines wrapped around her and started to pull her inside. It then shambled away, stepping off the walkway to cross the river of sewer water. Choco ran after it, summoning her spirit mace to attack it, though the stench got to her, so she turned aside and vomited on the wall.

The half-devil continued to struggle, the smell failing to faze her as her body was wracked with pain as the vines continued to pull her in. Failing to release herself, she kept her wits and disappeared in a puff of mist, reappearing next to Subaru.

"Are you alright?" the fighter asked with concern as she glanced at her. Okayu ran to the side and got a bead on the monster.

"-fine," the shambler victim wheezed out hoarsely. The cat girl's hands moved at a ridiculous speed, enabling her to fire two bolts which sunk into the vined monstrosity. It then seemed to lose all cohesion to its form and it collapsed into the water, sinking out of sight.

"Urk, that was unbearable!" shouted the tiefling in exasperation as she wiped her mouth.

"Stinky," added Rushia.

"Right, let's continue," urged the cat girl, "The sooner we find the place, the faster we can get this over with."

Getting agreements from all around, they hurried down the tunnel. As they trudged onward, Towa almost slipped and fell into the water but Okayu managed to steady her in the nick of time. Making a right turn, they came to a… dead end. At the far end, one side of the sewer wall had collapsed and sewer water was flowing over the other side, pouring over the walkway. It was pretty much glistening in the rainbow colors of the slick remnants of the sewer sludge.

"Not only disgusting, but also a dead clue," grumbled the half-devil as the party walked up halfway, not wanting to get near the collapsed side, "We should turn around and make our way back. This is useless."

"It can't be. How can we have just come all the way here for nothing?" moaned Subaru in despair.

"Let's look over the place," reasoned the cat girl, drawing everyone's attention, "Perhaps they might have a secret door somewhere. We are dealing with a cult, after all. They would be hiding their entrances."

She got nods of agreement and everyone was won over to help search for the suspected hidden door. Choco even flew over the river of muck with Rushia to look around on the other side. Eventually…

"Does this part seem off to you?" Towa asked Subaru as she motioned over to an area of faintly different colored bricks.

"...Yeah… It does look different," the fighter agreed as she started examining the bricks.

"Oh, did you find anything?" asked Okayu as she came over to check.

Suddenly, there was an audible hum as the bricks suddenly pushed outwards, deconstructing the wall and reconstructing into an archway. It revealed a torchlit room, much like the cultist base they discovered all those days ago. It was much, much cleaner compared to the sewers. The tiefling and the young necromancer rejoined them and together, the party cautiously stepped into the hidden base. As the bricks realigned behind them, they looked around the room. It looked like a staging area of some sort. Empty weapon racks were arranged on one side of the room. Two passageways led further into the base to the left and right.

"So, what do we do? What if we stumble onto cultists here?" asked the fighter with concern.

"Hah, we could handle those cultists with little problem," scoffed the half-devil.

"We may need to split up. Will you be alright with this?" suggested the tiefling.

"I guess," agreed the former warily.

It was agreed. Subaru would head to the left with Rushia and Okayu while Choco and Towa would go down the right passage. Decisions made, the split party went into their respective tunnels, keeping a wary eye for traps and enemies.

**AN: Hello, readers. The investigation continues. I do hope I'm making the investigation interesting. Other than that, Luna is on her way home. Matsuri goes with her. I'm sure we know where this is going...**

**It's going to be very, very wholesome. Like in their Minecraft collabs.**

**As for the party, we take the investigation into the sewers. And come across a shambling mound. That slathered Towa in stench. As Rushia says, stinky. And... let me tell you a secret. The shambler isn't dead yet. After some looking into, shambling mounds can play dead by having all that plant matter and whatever else it has all over it suddenly collapse and fall over. As if it died. Yes, it will take a while to recover, but it will show up again. Granted, Rushia can dump a Blight spell or two to make it play dead again, but it will be quite interesting if it suddenly shows up in the middle of a different battle in the sewer down the line.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we explore the base a little further.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

_The passage was short so we didn't take too long of a walk. It was about the same size as the previous room but instead of weapon racks, there was a stone altar at the far end of the room. It had a colorful piece of cloth draped over it. Rushia seemed drawn to it, so I asked Okayu to look out for her while I checked the other passage in front of us. It led to a gigantic room. I could see a metal door at the far end of the room, a passage going to the right and another door, wooden, on the left wall. The room itself had training dummies and target dummies on one side, two shelves of books and several desks on another side, and then a kitchen area in the corner. Then, the door on the left creaked open._

* * *

Subaru relaxed when she saw Choco step through the doorway with Towa behind her. "Over here," she called out as she waved.

"Find anything back there?" the tiefling asked as the two rejoined her, "All we found were sleeping areas."

She shook her head and said, "Nothing big so far. Though, Rushia's examining this stone altar in the room. Maybe you'd like to take a look?"

"Why not?" the latter replied and they reunited with the other two in the previous room.

The piece of cloth seemed to be quite beautiful and intricately woven. Compared to the rough-hewn stone, it seemed out of place.

"Blood spilled before," stated Rushia as they approached, "Sacrifices were made here. Old, ancient practice."

"Not only dragons, but using blood magic as well? These are two different things," muttered Towa aloud, "Dragon cults won't be as wasteful for this. Unless whatever that was brought here uses this kind of blood magic rituals..."

"Is that so… so the question is… who got hired?" questioned Okayu.

"We should explore further," decided Subaru, "Maybe we can find more clues. Either the inhabitants here are out or they haven't moved here yet… Let's go."

They went out of the room and into the gigantic room. First, they went to examine the passage, which led to a dead end. The half-devil suggested that it was probably another hidden door that led to the sewers as well. Not wanting to venture out into the foul place again, they turned their attention to the metal door. They checked it over before Okayu pulled it open by the handle, revealing a flight of stairs. They made their way up and up a second one, finding another room. It had a wooden door on the opposite wall. It was empty save for a desk and chair in the corner nearest to the stairs. The cat girl decided to take a moment to search it. A moment later, she discovered something… disturbing.

"What's wrong?" asked Subaru, noticing that her face was looking grim.

"They have yuan-ti here," she stated as she shuffled the papers around. Noting the fighter's confused face, she explained, "Snake people, to put it simply… who I don't see working together with another cult. This is new. One question would be why are they working together? What would they gain from this?"

"Yuan-ti have been known to make deals to gain power," stated Towa, "Blood sacrifices included."

"Anyway, we better leave this here," said Okayu as she put the papers back in the drawer, "So far, they don't know we're here. We could take them by surprise later."

"...Can we take them out now?" asked Choco, also looking grim, "Such a disregard for life..."

"We have to inform the guard about this," stated the cat girl, moving away from the desk, "Not to mention we don't know how many yuan-ti are here. We shouldn't take the risk."

Sighing, the tiefling replied, "That's true. I just feel very… urgh, those things might be sacrificing people."

"Hey, I know you want to do something about it, Choco. I think some of us do," assured the fighter, "But Okayu is right. We don't know how many of them are here already. We may even get overwhelmed. If anything, we need to be better prepared for this."

Suddenly, the wooden door opened and two hooded figures walked in. One was larger and a bit more heavy-set than the other. Both parties froze in surprise the moment they caught sight of each other.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" asked one of them as the figures pulled out their swords, "Nobody iss supposssed to be here and Jeron isssn't supposssed to check on uss so sssoon."

"Please, we mean no harm," spoke up the half-devil, raising her hands to show she was unarmed, "We were waiting for Jeron. He was supposed to show us our living space, but we got curious and found ourselves here instead."

The hooded figures looked at each other for a moment, whispering in something Subaru didn't understand. Then, the one who spoke said, "Very well. You ssseem to be trussstworthy if you know of that man. Do not come down here again and there will be no trouble. Now leave."

The very clear warning hung in the atmosphere as the party muttered their thanks as they hurriedly walked out of the room through the open door. They heard it being slammed shut behind them and they let out a breath of relief.

"Right, let's find out where we are," muttered the fighter as she looked round.

The room they were in was of similar build to the cultist basement the party found themselves all those days ago. Up ahead was another torchlit passage that led to a ladder going up. Heading that way and climbing up, she pushed against a trapdoor and opened it. Pulling herself up and looking around, she found herself in a rather shabby looking interior. The occupants seem to be absent.

" _I guess those two owned this house_ ," she wondered, thinking of the hooded people just now.

"Ah, let's go. I need to report this to the guard," stated Okayu.

Getting agreements all around, they left the house. They found themselves in the poorer side of the city. The cat girl then led them to the nearest guardhouse to make their report. She then stayed behind to see what happened while everyone else went back to her home.

* * *

"What!? What do you mean it's not there!?" exclaimed Choco in disbelief, something that was shared by Subaru and Okayu, "It should be there! You saw it too!"

"I know, Choco, I know," replied the cat girl, "But they didn't find anything. No extra tunnel. No extra passages. It disappeared. They told me so."

"But did you go down and verify yourself?" asked the tiefling.

"I wasn't allowed to… which, come to think of it, is very strange..." muttered the bounty hunter in realization, "What happened down there?"

"We should go there now! Who knows what is happening right now!" the cleric continued to rant.

"Right now? We haven't taken our dinner yet," the latter pointed out, making the former look even more frustrated.

"Look, let's just have a light dinner and then we go back to the house and take a look," suggested Subaru, "If we really don't find anything, we can still drop by Farun's tavern for supper."

Both of them glanced at each other for a moment before nodding to her.

"Bibi, help us watch that house will you?" said Towa as she tossed her hat in the air. With a puff of smoke, it transformed back into an imp and flew out of the window.

* * *

_After a quick meal, we hurried to the house. We found it full of darkness. Nothing lit up the interior, not even a light of a candle. Towa's imp flew back to her and hovered over her head. It quickly transformed into her hat and landed neatly on her head. Then, Choco suggested going inside as it didn't seem like anyone was home. Everyone agreed, me included. The two that were staying there are probably at a cult meeting right now, so it should be safe… right?_

_Of course, the moment she pushed the door open, the whole place exploded._

* * *

Everyone was thrown back from the explosion, their bodies scattering over the road. Subaru groaned as she tried to get to her feet. She got up to a seated position when she noticed someone stepping out of the house. Her eyes widened as a half-black dragon in gleaming red armor walked on the cobblestone. It was wreathed in a gleaming reddish aura that slowly dimmed out of sight.

It grunted and said in a growling, deep voice, "So… you are the ones who killed my brothers."

"Wait, what?" exclaimed the fighter.

"My father would have preferred to deal with you… but I have not the patience," it declared as it motioned with its longsword, "You will die by my hand tonight. ATTACK!"

She didn't wait for it to finish talking. She jumped to her feet and charged straight at it, slamming her shield into it and slashing the upper part of its chest. It staggered back and ducked, a flash of light veering over it and splashing into the wall harmlessly. Two bolts then slammed into its neck, drawing more blood and having it roar in pain.

"Mage!" shouted Towa.

That was the only warning they got when a fireball exploded in their midst. Subaru could feel her back getting bathed in flames. She grit her teeth and stood firm against the half-black dragon in front of her.

"You… you- argh!" it yelled in agony as two bolts of crackling, eldritch energy crashed into its torso and head, throwing his limp body into the burning house as the rest of it collapsed inward.

With that enemy gone, she looked around and her face went pale. Okayu, looking worse for wear, fending off another guy with a dagger and a rapier. She charged the retreating man and attacked, both slashes scoring his abdomen and drawing blood. The cat girl added to it when she dropped a large gash on his upper arm.

Suddenly, a wave of ice and frost washed over the party. She could feel the cold going all the way to her bones. Powering through the feeling, she noticed Okayu collapsing to the road, the chilled air being exhaled slowly. Immediately, she put herself between the cat girl and the swashbuckler. Just in time to, as a flurry of stabs was blocked by her shield. She then watched him turn tail and run.

"OH, you are not going anywhere!" shouted Towa behind her as two more bolts of energy slammed into his back, knocking him into some barrels, his body smoking from the blasts. "I got this. Go get that mage!" she heard the half-devil say. Taking that to hear, she turned and ran after the mage.

"Haaa! Take this!" Subaru shouted as she swung her sword arm, the ram ring glowing brightly. A spectral ram's head appeared and shot at the mage. As shocked as he was, he was able to jump out of the way just in time. This distracted him from a glowing green arrow that slammed into his side, splashing his body with acid and making him shout in pain.

"Good job, Rushia!" Choco called out as she ran up to the mage and swung her magical mace, the sharp flanges clipping his hands and forearms. This left him open to the spirit mace that appeared behind him and slammed into his back.

The mage immediately burst into mist and reappeared at the other side of the road. He then tossed out two bolts of fire at them, which splashed harmlessly against the wall of another house, before running away as well.

"Get back here!" she shouted as she ran after him. A second arrow splashed on him and unfortunately, killed him by melting his chest to a goo. A little disturbed by the sight, she quickly jogged back to the party, where Choco healed up Okayu and was now helping her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm cool," the cat girl replied with a weak grin.

She made a face, still feeling relieved that the bounty hunter was still in one piece. Then, she caught sight of Towa walking back to them from around the corner.

"Not to worry, I took very good care of him," she stated with a smug smile, "Very, very good care of him."

She had a feeling she didn't want to know what that meant.

Soon, a patrol of guards escorting a designated firefighter, a cleric, arrived on the scene and easily put out the fire. Okayu spoke with the guards and after clearing some things up, they were allowed to search the place after the fire died down. They stepped around the burnt husk of the half-black dragon and searched for the trapdoor. It was burnt but still usable. They cleared it out, opened it, and went down the ladder. They did not expect what they found.

"Impossible!" shouted Choco in disbelief. The passage was somewhat intact but half of the room it led to had collapsed. The part that had the door leading to the secret base… was now buried under a ton of rubble. Too convenient. She started patting around, trying to make sure this was really there.

"So… what do we do now?" asked Subaru. She had a sinking feeling that the fight they went through was a distraction to hide evidence. Something they had no choice but to take part in. And now they were still nowhere near to finding out more about the cult.

The tiefling sighed, suddenly looking quite tired, and replied, "Let's go back… and go to bed. I've had enough tonight."

The fighter just hugged her from the side and went up the ladder. Sure they hit a dead end, but she was sure that other things would turn up. The party regrouped and headed back home. After sending Towa to her home, they went back to Okayu's house. However, at the doorsteps, they found a hooded, cloaked figure sitting there. They stopped and looked at it warily. It slowly stood up and they spotted a tail. A dragon tail. This had the party on edge and they reached for their weapons.

The figure then raised its very human-like hands and said, "Wait! Please! I mean no harm. Please put those away." It sounded like a girl.

"Who are you? Are you one of them?" asked Subaru, putting into words what everyone was thinking.

"No, please, let me show you," she said as she pulled down her hood. Her hair was coppery-orange with a strip of yellow. Her eyes were red and purple with a sharp draconic iris. There were two, literal, dragon-like horns protruding out of the sides of her head. One with a black-and-white striped bow tied around it while the other had a discolored blemish streaking across it. "I am not one of the cultists you are hunting. I just wish to offer my help in fighting them," she informed them as they relaxed a little, taking their hands off their weapons.

"Who are you?" the fighter repeated clearly.

"My name is Coco Kiryu… and I'm here to help."

**AN: Hello, readers. The investigation continues. So, it seems that it was a small base set aside for yuan-ti. Why are the cultists involved with them? Clue? Yuan-ti purebloods. Lowest on the totem pole in yuan-ti society but extremely good at what they do. Incidentally, they did meet up with one, not that they know. Towa pretty much talked their way out of a fight. It may have been a small fight but it could lead to an even bigger one.**

**Choco wanting to return to wreck the base. Blood sacrifices, like what the yuan-ti can do and will do, I would put here as in opposition to a good-aligned person, and I would like to think especially true to a Life Domain Cleric.**

**Ambush. So, the explosion was a fireball. The half-black dragon I based on the half-red dragon veteran but color swapped and breath swapped. I hope its head-strongness and impatience shone through. And after the fight, we finally get introduced to Coco, Hololive's resident shitposting dragon.**

Coco Kiryu

Copper Dragonborn Bard/Sorceror multiclass

College of Satire/Draconic Bloodline

**Now, first, dragonborn. She is still a dragon, but the humanoid form she loves to use can also pass as dragonborn. You can have looks that are more human than dragon, so it can still be possible to look like that. Not to mention, don't we want to see her use an actual breath weapon? College of Satire. Shitposting can be a form of satire. Heh. Since the college itself strives to bring the truth to light under the guise of comedy, it isn't too farfetched. To me at least. Draconic Bloodline. It's true. She is a dragon, all the way down to her blood.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, Subaru and friends find out what Coco knows.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

_We were tired and injured after that fight and after finding out how their tracks were covered. After all that, I never thought to find someone willing to bring in new help. As tired as we were, we invited Coco into the house and asked her to tell us what she knew. At the back of my mind, I was wondering why she was helping us now. And how do we know if what she was saying was true? I guess we'll have to see_ …

* * *

"So… how could you help us with the cult?" asked Subaru as they seated themselves around the table. A single candle flickered on it, illuminating the room. Everyone else leaned in and awaited her info.

She sighed, whether out of relief or tiredness they couldn't tell, and explained, "I do not know what name he goes by now, but where I'm from, he is Dorgriaz the Black Hearted, formerly called the Brave. A powerful black dragon... old and powerful. He was one of the elders in my land, Draconerica, until he was discovered to have been amassing an army to try and take it over by a group of seasoned adventurers. He was exiled and he was not heard of since. That was until there were reports of signs of him being here. I was part of a small team of… well, spies, sent here to try and figure out whether he truly was here and if so, find out what he was plotting. We got ambushed on the way here and I was the only survivor. I've been stuck living around the poor side of the city while trying to figure out what was happening… if anything was happening."

"And then you heard of us," chipped in Choco.

"Yeah, it's a wonder what you can listen in on when everyone thinks you are just playing a tune," said the dragonborn with a smug smile before turning serious, "Well, if his past actions are anything to go by, then he will most likely be aiming to overthrow the royal family."

"What!? Then, we have to warn them!" exclaimed the fighter.

"Wait, Subaru. We don't have evidence yet," opposed Okayu, "We don't know where and when he will try this. We don't know the cult's numbers. We don't know who else did they get besides those yuan-ti. We are still in the dark here."

"He wouldn't act so obviously," continued the dragonborn, "A lot of time has passed between his exile and current day. He would have had plenty of time to amass a following and allies like those yuan-ti. He would most likely be preparing for a certain day to take everything out all at once."

"If only we can get a solid lead on this..." muttered the cat girl with a huff, "So far, all our efforts hadn't gotten us anywhere."

"Well, we can try to shake down a suspected noble? Maybe the ones opposing the trade deals perhaps?" suggested the dragon bard.

"Eh, how do you know about that?"

She looked at the fighter with a smirk and said, "Like I said, it's a wonder what you can listen in on when everyone thinks you are just playing a tune. I hear all sorts of things. Especially in the more fancier taverns where some of them are frequented by the servants of nobility." Clearing her throat, she continued, "Well, I think we need to sleep now? I will tell you more... and you will have a lot to do tomorrow."

* * *

"Älright, now that we are fed, let's continue," Coco declared after breakfast, "Now, we… you will be looking for a noble named Dobery..."

"Disturbed the trade deals."

"...yes, he is the one that kept disturbing the trade deals," confirmed the dragonborn, "Thank you, young one. Now, I believe he is one of them, based on what I heard. I hear of him sometimes shutting himself up in his study and sometimes multiple strange voices coming from within."

""...Creepy. Sounds like ghosts," muttered Subaru, "Looks like we have our next target. We have to go to his house and… interview him, I guess?"

"Yup. You do that. I'll be going out and trying to gather more info on this," the former declared with a grin.

"Should we ask Towa to join us?" asked Okayu, "She seemed to be very persuasive in getting what she wants, from what I saw yesterday."

"Good idea. We can stop by her house on the way there," agreed the fighter, "I'm sure she would join us."

* * *

_Unfortunately, I was wrong. She glared at us and slammed the door in our faces. She then opened the door, shouted something about the sewers and slammed the door again. I guess after calming down, she couldn't get over getting almost eaten by that monster… what in the world was that, anyway?_

_After the door slamming, we headed to the nearest guard house and got directions. Easy enough. Dobery's house… another one surrounded by a garden. It was big and looked extravagant. What's with nobles and gardens? We were let inside, surprisingly. The maid then brought us straight to his study, as if we were expected. Kind of suspicious…_

* * *

The party filed into the study warily. The noble Dobery was a middle-aged man, his combed brown hair greying in some areas. He was seated at his desk, his hands steepled in front of him as he stared at them. After the maid closed the door, he said, "Well, what an interesting group you are. Lord Wilford has praised you quite a bit."

"Er… thanks?"

"Then again, he was always the odd one out among us," he continued, brushing off Subaru's words, "A capable man in The Game, but he always did pursue his own interests rather than the court's or his family's name. Still, his word still holds weight." He got up and walked towards the window, turning his back on them, saying, "So, tell me, what brings you here, adventurers?"

They glanced at each other for a moment before the fighter spoke up politely, "We are here to investigate a cult that has taken root in the capital. Unfortunately, your lordship is on the list of suspects."

"Is that so..." muttered the lord as he turned to face them, "Might I ask where this came from?"

"My apologies, but where we got this from is very dangerous," she tried to dissuade him, "Should this get out, well, it would be disastrous."

"True, true," he muttered as he shuffled back to the desk. After hemming and hawing, he puffed his chest out and said, "Well, I must protest this accusation. I have never been involved in any such cult. My loyalty is to the crown and to the crown only."

"Then, do you mind if we search the entire house, my lord?" spoke up Okayu, "If you truly are blameless, then you surely have nothing to hide."

A disdainful look crossed his face before getting schooled for calmness, "Very well. By all means, search my house. As you say, I have nothing to hide. Nothing that supports this preposterous accusation."

"My thanks. milord," said the fighter as the party saw themselves out of the study. After the cat girl closed the door, she asked, "Well, how should we do this, Okayu?"

"Alright, Choco and I will search upstairs," the latter planned out, "You and Rushia look around here. Then, we look for the basement entrance and we search it together."

"Saving the best for last," quipped the tiefling with a smirk.

"If you say so," she said as she shrugged, "Alright, let's go."

The party split and went about their respective tasks. Subaru and Rushia scoured the ground floor. The servants pretty much stayed out of their way and left them to their devices. They searched everywhere, save the study. Nothing. However, they did get directions to the basement entrance from the maid that showed them in. After they were done, they waited for the other two at the foot of the stairs.

Meanwhile, the unlikely duo noticed several things out of the ordinary. The guest rooms had nothing strange, but Choco found torn scraps of paper in a metal container that were partially burnt. She showed them to Okayu, who sifted through the remains and found a small scrap containing the words 'house of Dire'. With this, they hurried downstairs and met up with the others.

"Take a look at this," said the cat girl as she showed the scrap of paper to the others.

"Ah, possible clue?" asked the fighter as she and Rushia looked at it.

"Good enough as a clue," admitted the tiefling, "But not enough as evidence, I think. We need more proof."

"Agreed. I guess it's time to search the basement," stated the cat girl.

"Alright, follow us then," said the fighter as she motioned the others to follow her.

The entrance was behind the house, right outside the kitchen. A flight of stairs led down to a wooden door. According to the servants, it was a spacious place used for storage, even if they barely used it. However, the layout of the basement was very, very familiar.

"Isn't this the same sort of basement that the other house had?" asked Choco as she pushed open a door and looked inside.

"Yeah… a hint?" joked Okayu.

"Hi, hi. Alright, we should get back to search," chided Subaru as they looked through more rooms. It was eerily similar. Storage room with a lot of boxes. Area with table and chairs. A room with wine barrels and wine bottle holders. They were empty and the taps dry. The small room at the end of the corridor with a table and a chest, this time empty. One singular large room, empty.

"Really is barely used," muttered the tiefling, "But, no clues down here."

"Huh… so we barely found anything…" groaned the fighter, "I don't want to face that lord after this."

"No worries, I'll do it," assured the cat girl, "I've dealt with his sort of noble before."

Opening the doors and going out, they came upon cloaked cultists and the noble himself wearing the same robes.

"Well, I think we found our proof," quipped the tiefling cleric.

"Truly, our Dire Lord has blessed us this day," declared Dobery, "Kill them all."

* * *

"Choco, with me," said Subaru amidst the cheering cultists that were unsheathing their swords.

A beam of radiant light suddenly slammed into Rushia, who was next to her, from overhead.

"Are you alright, Rushia!?" she asked as the cultists charged straight for her, their loud shouts drowning out everyone else. She quickly turned and struck down one but he was replaced by two more that attacked her and the young necromancer. With a wave, the latter conjured and threw a ball of green liquid that splashed over two of the cultists. The hissing liquid burned and ate through their leather armor. The young girl then disappeared in a puff of mist, just as Okayu's bolts finished them off. The tiefling took this chance to add to the shield wall by her side, effectively blocking off the cultists.

"Nice! We just need to outlast them," the fighter declared as she cut another cultist down.

"I will not let you!" retorted Dobery from behind the line, "Best that you Be Still."

Glowing yellow bands suddenly wrapped themselves around her body and her mouth. Both her arms and legs got pinned down and she was unable to say a thing. The noble laughed and stepped out of sight. Her eyes widened with worry as she tried to twist aside from the swords of the cultists. The swords still struck through but her armor held firm. However, with all the cultist's attention on her, they were left vulnerable to everyone else. Rushia's balls of acid and Okayu's bolts helped quite a lot. With Choco covering her, she felt that she didn't need to worry and was glad for having reliable friends. Eventually, all the cultists lay dead at their feet. The noble stepped around the corner, looking quite thunderous.

"Stupid fools! You dare go against us all!" he shouted fanatically, a crazed look in his eyes as he pulled out a dagger and a blood-red scroll from his robes, "Lord of Dire, I give my life to your cause! Use it as you see fit! Vocavi diabolum sanguine barbam!" He placed the scroll over his heart and buried the dagger in his chest, pinning the scroll to his body. Before their horrified eyes, he fell over dead.

Almost immediately, a crackling sound reached their ears and a bright red glow appeared from the room they came out of. Subaru, being the nearest to the door, turned to face it after the spell was broken due to the caster's death. She used her sword to carefully push the door open…

"DIE!"

...and was taken aback by a glaive getting plunged into her arm. A strange purple-skinned being with a tail and long barbed tendrils for a beard. She hissed and moved backward just as the being tried to twist its weapon to draw more blood. A bolt was then shot and buried into its chest. It roared as it ducked to the side and out of sight.

"What in the world was that?" she half shouted as Choco directed her spirit mace over.

"I don't know," the latter admitted, "Towa might know, but she isn't here. It's trapped inside without anywhere to run though."

"In that case..." muttered the fighter as she mentally prepared herself. With a shout, she ran inside and attacked, dipping past its guard and slashing it twice in the chest.

"I shall end you and drag you down to the Nine Hells!" it roared in pain as its 'beard' sprang to life and thrashed about, scratching her face. The shallow cuts stung harshly as a trickle of blood dripped down her cheek. As she ducked out of the way, she blocked its overhead glaive attack with her shield.

Without warning, Choco's spirit mace slammed into its face. Unluckily for the tiefling, it recovered in time to parry her mace. Unluckily for it, its hands were full and occupied enough for Subaru to plunge her longsword deep into its heart. It let loose a baleful howl and burst into an explosion of sulfurous ash.

The fighter quickly covered her face, the smell getting to her. The tiefling didn't seem too bothered by it, muttering, "Smells like a fiend."

"Urgh, let's get out of here, Choco," said the former, "This needs to be reported to the guards."

"Alright, let's go, Subaru."

* * *

"Done. I've notified the guards," informed Okayu as she came back to the mansion, "You can get back to the house first. I can handle things from here."

After that fight, they returned to find that most of the servants had disappeared. It dawned on them that most of the servants were involved with the cult save one or two maids and the cook. They were currently seated in the dining room.

"Alright, we'll meet up with you later," said Subaru as they got up to leave.

"Don't forget to tell them of our help," reminded Choco.

"Still have a chest of gold," muttered Rushia.

"Yeah. Besides, let's stop by Towa's house and tell her what happened," suggested the fighter, "At least to figure out what that lord summoned."

"Ah, yes. Our very helpful half-devil," snarked the tiefling, getting giggles from the other two.

**AN: Hello, readers. Now that Coco is here, we finally get a name to pin to the bad guy. However, it is just a name. They don't know what he looks like. Yet. Coco needs to dig up a little more. Or will someone else find it out first?**

**Also, remember Dobery. Lord Dobery to you. As we find out, he is also in league with the cult. Just how far does this cult go? All to take over the throne. Though, the noble is a bit careless. Really, not making sure everything is burnt properly. A pity. Not that he has time to regret his actions. He probably won't anyway. And with another blood sacrifice, he brought a fiend to this plane. A demon with a big beard. Make of it what you will.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, the search for the cult continues.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

_We met Towa at the door of her house. She didn't invite us in, so we had to tell her outside as well as describe the strange fiend to her. She informed us that it was a bearded devil… Makes sense. As she told us… I got the impression she was glaring at us, as if she wanted to meet it and she lost the chance... A little creepy, but… she is a half-devil. So… makes sense? Then, she made us promise to bring her along on the off chance of meeting another fiend._

_When we finally reached Okayu's house, we met Coco. She said she had some interesting news, so we hurried inside to hear it._

* * *

"Alright, there is this house in the southeast slum area that some people had seen mysterious figures going in and out of," she told them, "It might be a cultist base. Perhaps you can check it out."

"We could, but Okayu is busy at the noble's mansion..."

"Ah, so Dobery was with the cult?" interjected the dragonborn, "Ah-ha! So the nobility Are involved. At least some are."

"...At the very least his faction is involved," continued Subaru, "With the raid on his mansion, no doubt his allies are on guard."

"And maybe Dorgriaz as well," muttered the latter, "Hmm… alright, while it is still light, you can check out the house. Cults would meet in the dead of night to hide their activities, or so they say."

"Makes sense," agreed Choco. Turning to the fighter, she advised, "Let's do it. With them being absent, we should be able to get some clue as to what his plans are."

"...Alright, we're going," decided the former guard, "We need to get Towa to tag along again, just in case." Then, addressing Coco, "What are you going to do while we go in?"

She grinned and stated with a flourish, "I will try and get an in with a local gang. We may be able to find a group that is powerful enough, far above the others, that a possible cult may endanger their operations."

"...Are you sure your idea can work?" asked Subaru, the idea sounding a little suspect.

"Trust me! I'm sure this will work!" she exclaimed.

"Okay..."

* * *

"So, this is the place?" asked Towa.

"It's abandoned, so potentially the best place to have a hidden base," replied Choco as she pushed the unlocked door open.

The dilapidated house was a dirty, dusty mess. A thick layer of dust covered every inch of the place. Rushia sneezed the moment she stepped inside. Subaru blew out of her nose and waved her hand in front of her face, pushing bits of flying dust balls away.

"Here," said the tiefling as she pointed the way, "It's faint, but there are footprints leading here."

She walked over and pulled a tattered piece of cloth aside, revealing the rusty handle of a trapdoor. Pulling it open revealed a ladder. She went down first, followed by Subaru, Rushia, and finally Towa. There were wooden boxes and barrels strewn about accompanied by a musty, rotten smell. She started chuckling.

"Subaru, help me with this," she requested. As the both of them pulled the heavier boxes out of the way, one could see a slight light coming from a crack at the bottom of the wall.

"A fake wall," she muttered as she tapped around for a way to open it.

"Allow me," Towa said after waiting several seconds. She sauntered up to the wall and pressed a hidden button that was next to the door, saying, "Here. You were too focused on the door. I accept any form of praise."

The door swung open, revealing a passageway lit by a torch on the wall. They carefully walked through the hall, wary of traps. The wooden door swung open easily, leading to a large torch-lit room. The nearest wall had a wooden shelf bolted to it with several books. There were two tables near the center of the room, one empty and one with a pile of dark-colored robes on them. There was a display case on the side that seemed to have ingredients of some sort. All around were six other doors. Five were iron prison doors, leading to small holding cells. The sixth was a set of large double-doors.

Towa and Rushia were immediately drawn to the books while Choco went to look over the ingredients. Meanwhile, Subaru went over to check the robes. They were black in color with a very strange sigil in the middle of the chest area. She assumed that it was the dragon's personal sign. There were ten sets of robes in all.

A strange sound pricked her ears. It sounded like a growl. A very deep growl. She noticed that the tiefling had also looked up from the display case to look around.

"What was that?" she finally asked, unsheathing her longsword.

"I… don't know..." the cleric muttered as she stepped away from the case and pulled out her new mace.

"Well, the holding cells seem locked up pretty well, so… might be in one of them," she stated, "We should be safe but we better be armed just in case."

"Well, those books were sort of worthless," declared the half-devil as she and the young necromancer walked over to the tables, "So, shall we see what's behind the big doors?"

"Alright. Just be careful," she stated as the party walked over to the double-doors.

The doors pushed inward, revealing a medium-sized room. It had two lit braziers that flanked a stone altar. Blood caked its surface, as if seeing frequent use. Other than that, the room was empty.

"Yeah... I think we have enough to get the guards here," stated Subaru, visibly disturbed and not wanting to stay any longer than she has to.

Suddenly, the doors slammed shut. They ran over and tried to pull them open but to no avail. Then, a magic circle began forming and glowing in the room.

"Out!" she shouted, the whole party hurriedly running out of the circle.

A fetid stench filled the room as three creatures suddenly appeared in the circle. One looked like a humanoid vulture sporting grey feathers while the other two were short, squat, and ugly with white, rubbery skin. The short ones had a cloud of green gas around its body.

"A vrock and two dretches!? Fascinating!" exclaimed Towa, who then grinned eagerly, "Poison studies time!"

"Wait! What!?" exclaimed the fighter, who immediately struck one of the dretches when it started roaring at her.

A voice suddenly echoed in her head, "Gems! Trinkets and baubles! Give me!"

"There are no gems here!" retorted the half-devil.

The vrock screeched and flapped its wings. She could see faint motes of green being spread around it. She flinched as the dretch she attacked retaliated. Its teeth and claws crashed against her shield.

"Its spores are supposed to be painful," the half-devil informed as Rushia and Choco let out pained exclamations. She then killed the dretch attacking Subaru with her eldritch blast. Its body was flung into the air and crashed against the wall, disintegrating to ash as it fell to the ground. The gas remained in its former space, heavy in the air.

Steeling herself for what she was about to do, Subaru charged through the gas and attacked the vrock, her longsword slashing its wings. Strange enough, it ignored her. Instead, it attacked the tiefling, its beak actually piercing her shield and its talons raking across her stomach. An eldritch blast exploded on its wings. Choco fought back, summoning the spirit mace and together they attacked its head and wings. Meanwhile, Rushia threw necromantic energies at it, trying to drain the life out of it.

The fighter and the vrock continued to wail on their respective targets, while Towa went on a different approach. "You need a break. Time to Be Still," she shouted as she grabbed her arcane orb with both hands in a grasping motion. Its entire body became tied down with red bands of energy, fully restricting it.

The tiefling took this chance to get away, moving behind the nearest brazier. She sent the spirit mace to continue attacking the vrock while she chanted and cast a spell on herself. The others continued to attack the vrock, slashing and peppering it with spells. However, the longer Subaru stayed in the fetid cloud, the smell slowly started getting to her. Her head and vision started to swim. Blinking away the tears in her eyes, she continued swinging and attacking.

The red bands suddenly shattered and the vrock stretched and flexed, intent on retaliating. Towa, however, didn't let it and recasted Hold Monster, bringing back the red bands. Thanks to her, they were able to continue wailing on it until it fell when the fighter took its head off its body. She then retreated out of the fetid cloud and took in a large breath of clear air.

"Urgh, that was horrible," she muttered.

"Worse than the sewer?" asked the half-devil.

"Not as bad as that… but almost," she replied as she shook her head and blinked.

Choco stepped towards the doors slowly so as to not disturb the spores. Pulling the handle, the door opened easily. Air rushed in and dispersed the foul-smelling cloud almost immediately.

"Alright, let's get out of here," declared Subaru, "I don't want to be around when those cultists come back." Everyone agreed they made their way out of the hidden base, save for Choco, who paused to gather up some of the ingredients that were in the display case.

* * *

_Rushia and I helped to carry Choco's ingredients back to Okayu's house. Honestly, I don't really know half the stuff she asked us to bring with us, but she asked us to trust her with this. So, I went along with it. Towa went back home. She seemed to be… happy? Battling those… demons? She had this look… a very devilish look. I guess that is to be expected…_

_After getting back to Okayu's house and Choco pretty much taking everything we brought back to the guest room, she shooed us out to examine them. At the same moment, Rushia was able to bring her spellbook out with her for some studying, where she went to Okayu's room to do so. A few seconds later, Coco showed up again._

* * *

"Hello again!" Coco greeted jovially.

"Hello," replied Subaru with a smile, "So, we found demons in that base. They were doing more than mercenaries and cultists. Just… how far is… Dorgriaz? Dorgriaz is going too far."

"He was seen as a leader beforehand," the dragonborn stated, "I believe that there are still dragons who follow him, even after his exile."

"What about your plan?" she continued to question, "Did you find a gang willing to listen?"

Much to her surprise, the dragonborn grinned and said, "Yup! I actually did."

"Hah?" she uttered as her jaw fell open in shock, "How?"

"I'm very persuasive," stated the latter with a grin, "I had to start from the bottom though, and work my way to the top. I finally got a meeting with the current leader of the River Dragons. Tonight."

"...Scary fast," she muttered. If Coco works this fast… she did say she's a spy… scary good. "So, do we go along with you?"

The dragonborn nodded and said, "You have to. You are the ones that discovered it and alerted the guards. Your newest discoveries would definitely help persuade them to help us. I highly doubt that blood magic and demons going about in the city is good business for them."

"Well, I'll definitely come… Choco and Rushia would follow too," she mused, "Okayu would be busy sorting stuff out. Towa… no, she wouldn't. I guess it's just us."

"Not a problem," the dragonborn assured, "When have I steered you wrong?"

* * *

Coco led the party of three to one of the finer inns of the capital. Going up the steps of the inn and entering, the dragonborn headed straight for the main table and stated, "Dojima is expecting us."

The innkeeper nodded and motioned for an attendant and whispered some instructions. The attendant nodded and motioned them to follow. He led them to a large set of double doors. Opening one, he motioned them inside. As they stepped inside, Subaru noticed that it was a tavern-like place. The bar was being seen to by a finely dressed bartender. The place was empty except several people scattered around the place. They were armed and wary. She assumed that these were the protection detail of the leader of the gang.

The man in question was seated at the center-most table, playing cards with several others. The former guard assumed they were his three lieutenants. They were of lean build, not too thin, not too muscular. Well, except for one guy; he was thinner than the others, with an eye patch and a bandolier of knives running across his chest. He was dressed in fine dark clothes. Another had two short swords sheathed to his belt and wore expensive-looking leather armor. The third had no visible weapons and wore a fine robe with no visible hood. The leader himself had a thin mustache and neatly trimmed hair, dressed in fine clothes of a rich merchant.

"Hah, Shackle Flush," declared the leader as he presented his cards on the table. The other three half-groaned, half laughed as they threw their cards down.

"Hah, looks like you win again," the second one.

"Che, I could have beaten that if I had a free hand," grumbled the first.

"Hah, if I let you use magic, you'll be sharking us out of our gold, you dingbat," retorted the leader good-naturedly. Then, he suddenly turned serious, "Now, before the next round, let's see what our guests have for us." With that, everyone turned to pay attention to the group.

"Good evening. I am Coco Kiryu and I come seeking help," started the dragonborn as she stepped forward, "You see, I am from Draconerica and..." She then spent her time telling them about Dorgriaz and the cult activities, including what we found out. The whole while, they just sat there and listened. Subaru couldn't tell if they were leaning to helping them or throwing them out for wasting their time. Eventually, the dragonborn's little explanation ended and she stood still, waiting for their response.

"You bring forth an interesting speech, Miss Coco," stated the Dojima leader. Turning to the others, he asked, "Patches, what do you think?"

"I think it would be an interesting fight," said the first lieutenant.

"Diamond?"

"If plans for the upheaval is true, then whatever trust our clients have in our protection will be broken. We should help," stated the second lieutenant.

"I see… what about you D-"

Before he could finish asking, the doors burst open and a group of five walked in with swords drawn. The party moved off to the side, wanting to avoid a fight, while all three lieutenants stood up and faced the intruders. Subaru blushed when it was revealed that all the third lieutenant wore for upper body wear was an open robe that she saw… and nothing else. His muscles were very clear and present.

"Ooh, six-pack..." she heard Choco mutter behind her. Inwardly.. she had to agree. That man is quite handsome.

"This is a private function," declared the gang leader as his protection detail closed in around the central table, "You had better leave now."

"Ha? Screw you, Dojima," the apparent leader retorted, clearly looking a little under the influence, "Weakening your hold here will give our gang a fighting chance. You will die tonight."

"Huh, inebriated fools," he muttered as he shook his head, "Dragon. Take out the trash."

"Yes, Dojima," the third one said calmly and respectfully. "If you would please leave now," he warned, "I will only say this once."

"Shut up! You and your boss will die now!" shouted the lead intruder as they rushed straight at him.

"Very well," he replied as he took a fighting stance, "You have chosen poorly."

**AN: Hello, readers. Coco was right! And the cult was summoning demons. For real. Hmm, maybe should have put more dretches? Normally, one would put in more dretches, but... its more likely because Towa was there. She has Hold Monster, so after getting rid of the dretches, that spell pretty much sealed its fate. And normally, you would have a horde of dretches to accompany a rock. Still, Towa with the demonologist background finally gets first-hand experience with dretches and vrocks.**

**Then, we get a gang meeting. I am wondering... if you can guess what I am referencing here, dear readers. Coco. About to get a really happy dragon.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, the result of the altercation will be seen.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

_When we went to this meeting, I never imagined getting caught up between rival gangs. I thought we were just going to have a secret meeting with a gang leader, not meet the man in an inn's tavern that was taken over by him and his lieutenants. Still… we got a front-row seat to a gang beatdown. I'm not sure how to feel about this._

* * *

The first intruder got a boot to the face. The second ran straight into Dragon's arm when the lieutenant lunged, his entire body lifted up into the air by momentum and gravity seemed to pause as he turned a few times before landing on his third swung but he stepped out of the way, grabbed the arm and gave the attacker a headbutt. Without wasting time, he swung a punch at the fourth coming up behind him, breaking his nose. Then, he got out of the way of the charging fifth man, grabbed him by the neck, and pulled him back. He landed on the ground and the lieutenant grabbed him by the legs and swung him around, then let him go and sent him flying into the first three.

That left the fourth intruder, who came at him swinging. Dragon dodged the first one and then punched him in the face. He punched him two more times and then jumped, drop-kicking the intruder into three and five. As he got up, he kicked out at the first intruder and tripped the second. The latter fell flat on the floor, a few feet in front of the party. He quickly got up and caught sight at them. The man leered but before he could say or do anything, the lieutenant grabbed him by the neck from behind, lifted him up like a sack of potatoes, and threw him on one of the tables. The wooden item collapsed under the weight and the intruder was knocked out. The first one then grabbed a chair and tried to attack with it, but the lieutenant's leg crashed through, breaking it apart and slamming the block of wood into his face.

Distracted, the third intruder slashed his back, cutting through the robe and drawing blood. Dragon grabbed his head, slammed it into his knee, and held him in a suplex, tossing him over behind him. The intruder crashed into the table behind him and was knocked unconscious. The last two managed to capitalize and slashed his chest. He stumbled back, growled, took a deep breath, and suddenly exhaled lightning, electrocuting the two.

Subaru heard Coco gasp. She turned around and found the dragonborn muttering nonsense as she gestured wildly. Turning back to the lieutenant, she watched as he closed his mouth and the toasty-smelling intruders collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Has Coco gone mad, Subaru?" whispered Rushia. Dragon had now gone back over to the table.

"I… don't really know," muttered the fighter.

Diamond then handed over a healing potion and said, "Your robe is torn."

Dragon grunted and took off his robe to examine it, giving the party a full view of a tattoo on his back. It was a dragon rising upwards, grasping a pearl in its claw. Then, Coco let out a sound that resembled a squeal of happiness.

"Er, Coco, why are you…. like this?" asked the former guard hesitantly.

"The legend is here… the legend is here..." she started repeating to herself.

"What legend? Him? He looks like some ordinary..."

The dragonborn immediately grabbed and shook the tiefling by the shoulders and shrieked, "What!? You never heard of Amu-Kaz the Most Loyal!? Protector of Dragonerica who defeated an army ten thousand strong!? He is the legend of legend of legend of legends!"

"Er, Coco, I don't think any of us has been to your homeland before," said Subaru, trying to placate the overexcited dragonborn, "So, can you stop shaking her?"

Pausing her actions, she thought a moment before saying, "Fine." She let go and Choco could actually get a proper breath in.

The lieutenant sighed and said, "Huh, never expected one of my kind here." His visage started to flicker a bit before breaking, revealing two pairs of black majestic horns rising up from the side of his head. He had pale dragon scales around his chest and abdominal area while the rest of his body was covered in bronze dragon scales. The tattoo itself became different colored scales that formed the same imposing, majestic picture.

"Gods above, Dragon, you broke the damn illusion again," groaned Patches as he gestured with his hands, "Damn it, why can't you stop breathing that lightning. Grr, hold up. I'll get another scroll." The first lieutenant continued to grumble as he headed round the back.

"Hmm, I'll get this repaired later," said Dragon as he put on the robes again. Turning to the dragonborn, he said, "I would rather you don't tell anyone else back home I'm here."

"But why? Our people deserve to know you still live," protested Coco.

"I grew tired of the fighting," he said as he sat down facing the group, "The adoration and the respect… it helped. But it wore down on me. Eventually, I had enough of the killing. What the black dragon put our home through... that was the last straw. And you know it yourself that even if he is gone, his fanatics still exist. If me being dead can help protect my friends… my family or what's left of it, I will stay dead."

"But the issue with Dorgriaz..."

"I will still help with this issue, but not as Amu-Kaz the Most Loyal," he stated, silencing the dragonborn, "But as Kazuma the Dragon."

"Hrn, who would have thought you got found out, eh Dragon?" said Dojima as he leaned forward against the table, "To think I only asked you to fill in for Zhane."

"Then maybe he should have taken better care of himself," the legendary dragon retorted, "His stingy nature will be the death of him."

"Heh," the gang leader sounded. Turning to the party to address them, "It seems they are in agreement. The River Dragons will help. Do be aware that most of us will probably not be able to handle the black dragon. However, we will help to protect the citizens of the city from his so-called cult should they pop up."

"Sounds good enough to me," stated Subaru as she thumbed at herself, "You can leave the dragon to us. We'll handle it… somehow."

"Hmm, if you are searching for information, I might direct you to someone," spoke up Diamond, drawing the interest of the party, "He is an information broker who frequents the Broken Stool tavern. He is the one that warned me of the attack by the Viper's Nest."

"Hmm? Why haven't I heard of this?" spoked up Dojima.

"He is a suspicious person. I do not get a good feeling from him," explained the lieutenant, "One time, he tried offering me a contract that I turned down. Instead of getting angry, he just laughed and turned back to his ale."

"I guess we could seek him out," mused the fighter aloud, "Any bit of information would help a great deal. Where's the tavern?"

After giving them directions, he said, "He favors sitting in dark corners of the tavern. However, he has one thing that sets him out of the rest of them. His hands face the other way."

The party blinked and looked at each other in confusion. "Never heard of someone having that," muttered Choco.

Dojima then cleared his throat and said, "Our business is concluded. You have our help and you have your next destination. Now, leave. We have repairs to see to."

* * *

_We left the place in good spirits. If what Diamond said was true, then we may get some prime insight as to what the cult was planning. We decided to go there in the morning, as we were quite worn out from the day. We went to Farun's place for late supper and went back to Okayu's place to rest. We invited Coco to stay around but she refused, saying she already had a room rented for herself. We did promise to meet up at the broker's tavern the next day._

_However, we didn't expect Korone to come back in the morning and… well_...

* * *

"Come with me to Merkath!" Korone exclaimed the moment she caught sight of the three settling down to eat breakfast.

"...What?" muttered Subaru in surprise.

"I heard you fought an umber hulk!" she continued in an excited state, "Come with me! We can go hunting for umber hulks and take their fingers!"

"Umm… not that I don't want to..." replied the fighter very carefully as she feared for her own fingers, "Well… we are hunting for information on a dragon cult… and possibly fight a dragon too..."

"What!?" the dog girl exclaimed again, this time with an extreme shine in her eyes, "Where!? Where is the dragon!?"

"Um… why?"

"Dragon. Fingers," she proclaimed with great joy, "This will be the centerpiece of my collection!"

-pak-

"Enough. Stop harassing our guests, Korone," said Okayu as she smacked the dog girls head with her flat-faced ladle, "Sit down and eat breakfast."

"Ku… fine..." murmured the pouting bounty hunter as she took her seat.

The party of three ate as quickly as they were able. Saying their thanks, they headed out straight to the tavern Diamond told them about. As expected, Coco was waiting for them outside. Together, they stepped inside.

Early mornings, a tavern normally is almost empty save for a few regulars or drunkards that fell asleep there the night before. This tavern was no different. Seated at one of the many tables was one such bleary-eyed drunk moaning and groaning as he held on to a cup of remedy. They took time to look around and spotted a hooded figure sitting in the far corner of the room. He was leaning back in his chair, one arm behind his head and his other holding on to his smokey pipe. A reversed palm. The hood and cloak looked to be made of fine cloth and looked well-made. Coco and the party made their way over to him and sat at the table.

The broker took a deep draught of his pipe, tilted his head upwards, and breathed out a cloud of smoke. "So, you have come to see Prasadiv, hmm?" he asked with a growly, husky, accented voice, "You come for information? For trinkets? To fight? Prasadiv provides and more."

"We want to know more about the cult in the city," stated Subaru after looking around, leaning in to listen.

"Ahh, the dragon cult, yes?" he asked rhetorically, "Prasadiv knows many things, including the dragon cult of Dorgriaz."

"What do you know?" pressed the dragonborn.

"Ah, ah, ah. Prasadiv does not give things for free," chided the mysterious broker as he took another draught, "Prasadiv requires payment."

"What do you want..." asked Choco hesitantly.

"Ah, there are many things Prasadiv wants," the broker stated rather jovially, "That depends. Are you willing to sign a contract? To fetch something for Prasadiv? To fetch... someone? OR… to entertain Prasadiv?"

The atmosphere suddenly became filled with dread. The party looked at each other, contemplating their options. Then, Subaru spoke up.

"We aren't going to sign any contract," she stated resolutely, "No discussion about it. Fetching stuff… or people… will take time and we might not have it. So… I guess... entertainment."

"Ahh, wonderful, wonderful," cheered the mysterious man, "A wonderful choice."

"So, is this going to be singing or dancing? I can do that," offered Coco.

"Oh, that… Prasadiv will decide," he stated. Pointing at the fighter, the young necromancer, and the tiefling with his pipe, he continued, "You. You. You. You three will be in the arena."

"Wait? Arena? What-" sputtered Subaru as the mysterious man brought forth his hand that was behind his head and snapped his fingers. She blinked and found herself standing in sand. She looked around and saw that she, Rushia, and Choco were in a small arena bordered by high stone walls with caged enclosures on one side built within.

"Welcome, to Prasadiv's personal arena!"

The group of three looked up and saw the hooded broker had dropped his hood, revealing the face of a humanoid tiger. His hands were raised, gesturing upwards. Coco was next to him, looking around in confusion.

"You will fight three rounds with enemies of my choice," he declared his conditions, "If you win all three rounds, you can have your information. If not… no loss for Prasadiv. You can take a few minutes to heal up in between rounds but no more than that. Healing includes what your friend up here can give you. Now, prepare yourself. Your first fight will start soon."

* * *

After preparation time was over, the rakshasa declared, "Your first fight is with a demon of the Nine Hells! Let the battle begin!"

A bright circle appeared in the sand, the insides bathed in bright red light. As the spectacle dissipated, it revealed a large demon that bore a superficial resemblance to a toad with muscular arms ending with three-fingered hands. It roared loudly, just as Choco cast a blessing on the party of three. It charged at the nearest person, a hand reared back to strike. Subaru stepped back in time, its claws swiping on empty air. At the same time, she started coughing as she caught the whiff of its noxious stench. She could hear Rushia coughing behind her as well, the young necromancer also being affected. Still, it didn't stop them from fighting back. A ray of sickly green energy shot into its open maw, choking it a little, while the fighter's slashes cut deeply into its nearest hand.

Choco's spectral mace materialized, aiming for its shoulder while a beam of sacred flames slammed into where it stood. Both missed, as the hezrou sidestepped and continued to attack Subaru, its maw biting empty air. Frost then appeared over one arm, the cold seeping deep into its flesh. Subaru, powering through the stench, focussed and attacked the frostbitten arm and worsened the injury. The spirit mace caught up to it and slammed its head into the demon's back. At the same time, a flash of light slammed into its chest and the hezrou roared as the holy energies seared through its very being. It only became angrier, its maw suddenly clamping down on the fighter's sword arm. With a twitch of its neck, it threw her into the air. With a swipe, it dug into her arm and sent her crashing to the ground. Her pain didn't distract, as she rolled aside to her feet when it tried to swipe at her with its other arm.

It roared again as a glowing green ball splashed in it, the necrotic energies washing over its injured body, worsening all its injuries. This brought Subaru enough time to attack, its chest getting the heaviest blow, its scorched skin and muscle parting and revealing actually bone. Or what passed to be bone. The second attack dug into its leg, cutting through its thigh. A third attack surged through, slashing its lower leg and causing it to stumble to one knee. After that, much to her surprise, Choco ran up next to her and slammed her glowing mace into its face. An extremely loud roar came out of its throat as it suddenly burst into sulfurous ash, showering the both of them with bright yellow dust that smelled of rotten eggs.

Coughing and running out of the stinking cloud, the fighter heard the rakshasa announce, "Congratulations! You have passed the first round. Prasadiv is impressed. Now, take a moment to heal yourself. The second round-"

"Can start now," she found herself saying. While she was a little injured, it didn't look too serious as the wound seemed to be minor enough.

"Are you sure about this, Subaru?" asked Choco with concern, "You don't have to if you feel otherwise."

"I'm sure, Choco," assured the fighter, "We've had worse. A simple wound like this wouldn't stop me."

"If you're sure..."

"So, can we start the next round now?" she pressed on as she turned her attention back to the rakshasa.

"Very well. The second round is a pair of land sharks. It begins now!"

The three then looked around and nothing appeared. "Umm, where are they?" asked the fighter, "I don't see any sharks."

"Ah, Prasadiv never said they would be… over ground."

**AN: Hello, readers. I am glad that I put this scene in. A happy Coco is the asaCoco we all need. That translated video is what introduced me to her, that clip that showed her reaction to Kazuma Kiryu making an appearance in Like a Dragon. I have been waiting to put my D &D interpretation in and I feel very satisfied with it. And him being a bronze dragon, I think, fits him well.**

**Then, the party goes to meet an information broker. As we see here, a rakshasa. As to how he knows of the dragon cult... let's just say he may have a hand in helping it, so to say. The arena is his test for them. Round one, a hezrou. Round two, a pair of bulettes or more commonly known as land sharks. The third round? Well, care to guess?**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, battles two and three.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

_Wait, he never said they would be… over… ground… Land sharks… So, if normal sharks swim through water, then land sharks can 'swim' through the earth and ground. And since they aren't over? Ground? Then... they should be underground… so that means… oh._

_Shit._

* * *

Subaru could feel a great rumbling under her feet. At the same time, two fins appeared on either side of the arena. Both headed straight for them. They then leaped out of the sand, ramming them with their heads and swiping them with their claws. The fighter and the tiefling ended up flat on the ground while the young necromancer was thrown aside by the impact. Both monsters growled before burrowing into the sand, the only sign of them were the small fins that stuck out above ground.

"Choco, Rushia, keep close to the wall," ordered Subaru as she readied herself, "Attack the moment they appear."

"You better not get too scraped up," warned the cleric as both spellcasters got ready as well.

They didn't have to wait for long. The first one leaped out of the sand, the fighter tried throwing herself to the side while necrotic energy and the spirit mace attacked. She received grazes and glancing blows while it roared out in pain before burrowing into the sand again, escaping once more. She was also prepared for the other bulette. It rammed into her shield while its claws tried reaching around it. It dug into her arms while she could feel her entire body shaken in an attempt to withstand the ramming monster. It too burrowed and escaped. Both fins began circling around the arena for another go.

"Vi murum!"

Now that she was closer, Subaru could see the effect of Rushia's spell. Faint, translucent walls sprang up in front and beside the party. The two monsters leaped from the sand and crashed against the walls. They seemed unharmed and looked around for a way in. A second later, they burrowed into the sand, fins and all. Then, both reappeared inside the box and started to attack, focusing on her. The first one she got out of the way, but that left her open to the second, which clamped down on her arm. Grunting and gritting back the pain, she slammed the pommel of her longsword on the armored nose of the shark, shouting, "Get off!"

It let go, not because of her, but because Rushia touched it with a red glow around her hand. It stood there, shaking its head. She didn't have time to dwell on the whys, so she began attacking the first with renewed vigor, as if she got a second wind. The armored plating of the shark, she found tough and hard to get through. It didn't seem fazed by her slashes or Choco's maces. Both of them. Instead, it was able to lunge forward, its mouth traveling all the way up to her shoulder, and bite down on her sword arm. She shrieked in pain. It only let go when a ray of necrotic energy blasted its clawed front leg. As it released, she took that chance to slash its mouth. Her arm hurt all manner of ways, but she knew she managed to hurt it even more based on the roar she heard. When it lunged at her again, this time twisting its head and biting down on her stomach area, she could feel its teeth puncturing through her elven chain. The amount of pain was unbearable and she blacked out.

* * *

"Subaru!" shouted Choco, horrified by what happened.

At the same time, Rushia was attacked in a similar way when the second bulette lunged and bit down on her hand. She swung her rod at the bulette's eye, the arcane implement bouncing off the bony plate, making it open its mouth in surprise. She quickly withdrew her arm and sent another ray of necrotic energy at the first bulette, aimed at the mouth of the monster as it started to roar. At the same time, the tiefling cleric's spirit mace slammed into the roof of its mouth, smashing through the roof and into its brain. It toppled over as she moved on to attack the other bulette.

Choco swung and missed, coincidentally causing it to fumble and miss Rushia in turn. The young girl stepped away with a puff of mist and reappeared near the wall, at the same time tossing a bubble of acid she conjured up at it. It burst on its head, hissing and bubbling as it started to eat through the armored hide. That new point of attack was immediately targeted, the spirit mace breaking through it as the spectral weapon fizzled out. The cleric then shot a flash of light at that same point. The bright light was distracting to it, causing it to bite down on thin air. The armor on its head continued to break down as the two friends of Subaru continued to double down on their attacks. Rushia persisted in washing it with necrotic energies while Choco kept striking the weakened point, even summoning a new spiritual weapon to aid them.

Eventually, the remaining bulette fell over on its side, dead to the constant attacks. The tiefling hurried over to heal the fighter's wounds while the young necromancer canceled out the translucent wall.

"Subaru, are you alright?" the concerned cleric asked as she propped the fighter up.

"Urgh, like I got trampled by a herd of horses," Subaru groaned as she held her head with her hand.

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" exclaimed the rakshasa from the audience seats, "Rarely has Prasadiv seen such a performance."

"Oh, yes, I'm sure it's all very good," retorted the tiefling sarcastically as she helped the fighter to her feet.

"But of course," replied the information broker, brushing it off. Turning to a worried Coco, he stated, "Now, go ahead, my dear dragon. Attend to your friends. Prasadiv can wait."

"Oh, my gods. Are you alright down there?" called out the dragonborn bard over the edge of the raised area as she knelt down on the stone floor.

"No worries," Subaru replied, finally regained enough strength to stand on her own, "Could use some healing though."

"Coming right up," she declared as she took out a lyre from under her cloak. Strumming the strings a little, she started singing a song. It was short and sweet, a little ditty about springtime. But the words seemed to seep into her very being and she felt the tiredness seep away like it was nothing.

"There," declared the bard as she ended her song, "You should be good as new. Well, strong enough to finish the last fight."

"I do. Thanks a lot, Coco!" shouted the fighter gratefully. She got a great, big grin as a reply.

"Very well. Now that you are healed up, time to begin the final round," announced the rakshasa.

* * *

_After what happened, I was sort of nervous. It might get even more difficult if the last fight had shown me. The nervousness increased as I spotted the tiger guy holding an amulet in his free hand. Is it a sign of things to come?_

"The third and final round… is a shield guardian! You may begin!" _he announced._

_Behind us, we heard loud creaking sounds. Turning to face the source of the sound, we found a large… construct of wood and steel walking up to us. Mostly steel, I think. I quickly pushed down my nervousness and stepped in front of Choco and Rushia. They are counting on me. I will not let them down. Time to win this fight!_

* * *

Subaru stepped forward and attacked, but her slashes bounced off the metal leg.

" _Ah… so the wooden parts then_ ," she mused as the construct raised its arm, Rushia's ray splashing against it harmlessly.

Meanwhile, Choco directed the spectral mace to attack the wooden part of its arm while chanting for another blessing. The fighter then leaped back when the raised arm slammed into the ground. However, the other arm rammed hard into her shield arm. Even when shielding herself, she could feel something crack within. She then moved around the rising arm and clipped the upper arm.

A spectral, skeletal hand formed and grabbed the arm, the wood slowly turning black as the young necromancer tried rotting it away. The spirit mace continued hammering at its right arm while the tiefling tried blasting the other arm, but she didn't expect it to stride forward, the flash of light going wide. It stopped right in front of the young wizard and tried to punch her.

"No!" Subaru shouted as she tried to get between them, her shield raised. She made it just in time and once again, could only clip the arm in retaliation. Sadly, this also disrupted Rushia's spellcasting and she was unable to send another skeletal hand at it.

-CRACK-

The spirit mace was able to break through the wood part of the right arm. At the same time, Choco decided to try and break through the legs. The cracked arm caused its attack to stall a little and Subaru helped to block its other fist. This time, her counter attack hit the metal gauntlet instead of the wooden part. This time, she noticed the wood actually healing up, the nicks and cuts sealing and reforming around its arm.

"It can mend itself!" she shouted in surprise, once again distracting Rushia.

"Ah, surely you don't think Prasadiv would make this too easy," called out the rakshasa as the spirit mace reared back for a blow, "Ah, dragonborn? Best move out of the way. It's going to be chilly here."

"What!?" exclaimed Coco as she jumped aside just as the mace struck, breaking off the shoulder pauldron. A sudden formation of swirling clouds appeared above it and a hail of rock-hard ice began showering down on the party. The party members in the arena yelped and screamed as their heads and arms got pelted with freezing-cold projectiles. It then reached over to pummel the young necromancer, but Subaru got in the way and protected her again. The lower temperature also meant the construct moved just a little slower and she was able to chip off a bit more of the wooden part of its arm.

Much to her surprise, Rushia ran past her and grabbed onto the leg of the shield guardian. The girl reached out and touched the wooden part with a shadow-wreathed hand, the area darkening and blackening the longer she maintained contact. It bent over to try and grab her, but it shuddered as the cleric and the fighter took this chance to attack the legs as well. It was also the end of the spirit mace as it slammed into its chest, breaking a large part off. It paused and then swung its fist, knocking Rushia off its leg. It seemed a bit careful now, as it shifted around and avoided letting the girl grab hold of it again.

Choco took this chance to bring forth another spectral mace and hammer its chest again. It cracked and chipped even further, exposing part of an internal crystal within. With a yell, Subaru partially cut through its leg, causing it to go off-balance. As it wobbled over, she jammed her sword into the gap the spectral mace created and pulled the guardian down. Rushia took this chance to reach inside and grab the crystal. There was a whine… and then an explosion. The party of three was thrown back against the wall while the construct had slumped over, smoke billowing out of its chest.

Subaru groaned as she got up. Looking to her friends, the tiefling looked fine although groggy but the young necromancer's pink hue has spread further, now spreading to two-thirds of her hair.

"What a marvelous fight," exclaimed the rakshasa happily, "Prasadiv is pleased and impressed. All of you have done well to win all three rounds. Now, let us return." He snapped his fingers and the party found themselves back at the tavern… as if nothing had ever happened.

She could still feel the aches in her body, the spikes of pain in the places where she was injured, but her armor and weapons were still in prime condition. Yet, why did she still feel drained?

"Well, now that you have passed Prasadiv's test," stated the information broker, "Time for Prasadiv to keep his end of the bargain… and talk about the cult of Dorgriaz."

* * *

"They are that entrenched in the city already," muttered Subaru worriedly as the party left the tavern.

"To be fair, he had a lot of time to prepare," reasoned Coco, "I just can't believe there are supposed to be hidden teleportation circles all over the city. It sounds unbelievable."

"He isn't taking any chances," added a frowning Choco, "Between summons, mercenaries, cultists and half-dragons, they can easily overwhelm the city. And didn't he mention the dragon had plans for the other cities and towns?"

"Maybe we should go back and ask him for help?" asked the fighter, "Maybe get some messages out to our other friends?"

"I think we shouldn't," stated the bard, "The fact he knows so much on what and where the cult is coming in from… I have a feeling he helped them set all this up as well. So… if we go through him, there is a chance he would tell Dorgriaz as well. Besides, we spent too long listening to him and I rather not look at his face or his hands anymore."

"Right, I can see that," groaned the cleric, "Let's go to Farun's again."

"Ah… hope Korone isn't there right now… I rather not listen to stuff about fingers," added the former.

"Fingers?"

"Don't ask."

* * *

Morning came as usual. It was mid-morning when Subaru finally got up. A little puzzled as to why nobody woke her up, she got ready for the day and went to get some food to fill her stomach.

"Good morning," greeted Rushia, busy studying her father's spellbook at the table.

"Morning, Rushia. Where's Choco?" asked the fighter as she got some buttered bread and cheese.

"Shops with her stuff," was the simple answer.

"Hey, guys," greeted Korone with a cheeky grin as she came into Okayu's house, "Have you found the dragon yet?"

"No, we haven't," she informed the bounty hunter, "I was hoping to let Okayu know what we found out yesterday. Do you know where she is?"

"Yup! I could take you there after you're done."

"Thanks!" she replied, mirroring her grin.

"Good morning, everyone," greeted the tiefling as she stepped inside, "How's everyone today?"

"We're fine," they replied, Subaru wolfing down her breakfast.

"We're going to see Okayu before we meet up with Coco," the fighter stated as she finished her meal.

"Ah, that sounds like-"

Before she could finish, the loud sounds of multiple explosions ripped through the air. A second later, shouts and screams of the people filled the air outside. Subaru and her friends ran outside and looked around. Multiple spires of smoke could be seen in the distance at varying visibility. People were running away, either heading towards their houses to save what they could or ushering their families to the gates while carrying what they could.

"Okayu!"

She turned to see Korone running down one way and turning towards what she presumed to be the nearest guardhouse.

"Subaru, better get your armor on," stated Choco as she looked at the smoke spires, "I think the attack is today."

She found herself agreeing. Going back inside to don her armor and take up her arms, she wondered if she could have done something else differently. Stepping outside fully equipped, she couldn't think anything.

" _I guess there wasn't anything I could do then_ ," she mused inwardly as she stood there, waiting for the tiefling cleric to finish blessing them, " _But now… I, we can do something about this now._ "

"Alright, what should we do now," Choco asked after she had finished.

"Now? What did Coco say the other day? He would be targeting the royal family?" said Subaru with a serious face, "We go to the palace. This way."

They jogged down the opposite way Korone took. However, at the junction, they heard several more explosions rocking the capital. Then, the ground under them exploded. The fighter was thrown to the ground. Getting to a sitting position, she peered through the dust and the debris and was taken aback by the large fissure that broke through the street.

"Choco! Rushia!" she shouted as she got up.

"Still alive!"

"Here, Subaru!"

Both replies sounded to be at two different places.

"I'll head for the palace! If possible, I'll lure the dragon away and try and find you guys!" she suddenly said, this headstrong idea suddenly popping into her mind, "Don't worry! I'll survive! Help those you can! I'll see you soon!"

"Subaru! Wait!"

She turned around and ran for the palace. Hopefully, she wasn't too late.

**AN: Hello, readers. Well, our party succeeded in passing the test. Land sharks were a pain to deal with. The shield guardian... well, Prasadiv had its amulet and it had an Ice Storm spell stored inside. And to be honest, things are not really in-depth when I tried looking up shield guardian creation. So, I am assuming that when the control amulet is being made, a sister crystal to the one in the amulet will be placed within the construct just to tie the amulet to it. Thus, due to abserd power interactions, it exploded then the guardian was taken offline.**

**Then, we go back to a normal night. Then, a normal morning. Or what passes as a normal morning. I mean, having Korone coming up to you and asking about a dragon just to take its fingers is not normal by any means. And then, the attack of the cult begins.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, taking the fight to them as well as a look at other places.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

_I ran and ran. Everything else around me was a blur. I don't know how long I took to get there, but when I did, Strange enough, nobody was at the front of the gatehouse. I hurried past without getting checked over. Then, when I reached the entrance of the castle, a contingent of guards surrounding a noble-looking man in fine dark clothes with their spears pointed at him. The king was addressing him. As she neared, she could hear the king talking about putting the man away for treason._

* * *

"Before I sentence you… why, Draine, why?" asked the king sternly, "You are my closest advisor. What could make you do such a thing?"

The noble smirked and replied, "Simply said, I am not who I am to be… and I seek to take the throne for myself."

"If you are not Draine, then who are you," he continued.

"Oh, Draine Elrictus is simply one of my names," the noble stated as his robes started billowing without warning. He started enlarging and growing. Scales spreading over his skin. Large scythe-like horns growing out of his head. Large claws replacing nails. Dagger sharp teeth. Wing grew and burst out of his back. Neck lengthened. Draconic snout formed. As he transformed, the guard slowly stepped back, more out of fear than caution. The ancient black dragon loomed over the visibly scared terrified king, roared to the heavens, and declared, "I am Dorgriaz the Black-Hearted! Your throne is mine to take." He then stared at the monarch with eager eyes.

"Dorgriaz!" Subaru shouted loudly, hoping to distract the dragon and stop him from eating the king.

It worked a little too well as the dragon immediately turned its gaze to her, hunger transforming into rage. "Who dares… You! You were the one who traveled through the swamp, weren't you," he growled threateningly as his entire body moved to face her, "You killed my sons… The king can wait. You… you will die first..."

He beat his wings, sending the guards and the king flying back while helping him to hover a little, flapping a few more times helped him get airborne. At that moment, getting the feeling of extreme dread, she turned and started running.

"DIE!" he roared as he swooped down after her.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" she shouted as she made her terrified run out of the castle, past the soon to be melted gatehouse and out into the street. She could almost feel the stream of acid trying to grab at her heels. As she continued her mad dash to escape, she hoped her friends were having an easier time.

* * *

Russia ran down the street, trying to figure out which road to take to get to Subaru. For the first time in many months, she didn't have the comforting feeling that her stepfather was watching over her. She didn't feel that her friends were around to back her up. She didn't feel that Subaru and Choco were around to help her. She was, as of this moment, alone. And she hated to admit it, she was also lost.

As she reached the end of the road and into a junction, she found another hole in the ground. The guardhouse that was at one of the corners was replaced with it. And there were many, many kobold bodies. She was a little puzzled, but she recalled something from her father's spellbook about teleportations going off course. She assumed this is what he meant and pictured it in her head. The group was teleported in around the same time the guardhouse was blown up. By magic or by mundane means, she couldn't tell, but the kobolds were also caught in the explosion. That being the case, who was leading them?

She got her answer when she heard the crackling of arcane energy exploding nearby. Running in the direction of the sound, she came to a dead half-black dragon. Standing over it was Towa. Her robes were torn in several places and some parts seemed to be bleeding.

The warlock caught sight of the young necromancer and said, "Well, if it isn't the little one. Tell me, what in the world is going on? All these explosions and kobolds and half-dragons are getting in the way."

"...The cult did it," she finally stated.

The half-devil just stared at her for a moment and replied in a sarcastic tone, "Well, that was quick. So, they have chosen death. Wonderful."

A loud groan suddenly echoed through the empty street. It sounded like it was coming from the blown street. Soon, a large, plant-like monstrosity appeared as it used its vines to latch on and pulled the dead kobolds over to stuff it into its body.

"Ah, stinky monster," muttered Rushia as she paused to glance at the warlock, only to find an empty space. It seemed that she had run off. Turning back to the junction, the sewer shambler was heading in her direction. Deciding that Towa had the right idea, she ran down the street as well, hoping to find a way to get to Subaru.

A loud roar drew her attention. Much to her astonishment, a black dragon flew through the air, spewing its acid breath at something. She smiled, finally getting an idea of where the fighter was. She picked up the pace, hoping to get to her in time.

* * *

Choco hurried down the street, trying to navigate the changed landscape. Finding most of the guardhouses blow-up was gut-wrenching. Those that weren't had been attacked by kobolds. Those were at the very least repelled. Even as she searched for a way to get to the castle, she also worried for Korone and Okayu. After being allowed to stay at their house for such a long time, the tiefling had come to care for them like long-time friends. Rounding a corner, she came across a despairing sight.

Bodies of several guards and many more kobolds lay strewn around the burning guardhouse. It didn't seem to be blown up in any way, one of the few that were directly assaulted, it seemed like. Only two were fighting back against the kobolds that remained and a half-black dragon. Korone and Okayu were busy engaging the kobolds in melee while trying their best to dodge the crossbow bolts being shot at them by the half-black dragon. They were already pretty injured but they seem to be holding on.

Unfurling her wings, she decided to help them. Getting some height, she glided over and crashed into the kobolds while swinging her mace.

"Woohoo! Choco!" exclaimed the dog girl happily.

"Phew, lucky!" joined in the cat girl with a tired grin.

"This isn't over just yet," stated the tiefling as she turned around to face the last enemy.

"Hmph, arrogant weaklings," it growled out as it pulled out its longsword while motioning at them, "Come at me if you dare."

"We'll take you down, then, we'll take back my city," stated Okayu as she and Korone charged at it.

"Wait!" shouted Choco, trying to get them to be careful.

The cat girl went in swinging her shortsword while the dog girl leaped in with a flying kick. With a roar, it suddenly shouted something while gesturing with its free hand. A loud boom threw them back. The tiefling was able to catch the city hunter but the monk crashed and skidded on the ground. She then was forced to lift her shield to block a wave of acid that washed over them. She wasn't able to fully shield them and parts of their bodies got burned by the acid regardless, but the worst of it was blocked off.

The half-black dragon laughed and stated, "Weaklings, all of you. Only fitting our glorious leader to take this continent from you. You are not worthy."

The city hunter hissed as she steadied herself with her shortsword. The monk groaned as she got up and dragged herself over. The tiefling grit her teeth and retorted, "A tyrant like your leader? You must be stuck on the Dream World to believe such nonsense."

"You… I will be your death!" it shouted as it charged straight at her.

She stood in front of Okayu and steeled herself for a fight when a flash of light suddenly slammed into its head. "Who dares!" it roared out as it looked around.

"Good day to you," a voice greeted from another road. Everyone turned to look and Choco recognized her at once.

"...Fubuki?" she muttered in surprise, "What..."

"You… you are dead," threatened the half-black dragon as it turned to face the fox girl.

The trickery cleric then pointed at it and stated, "I would beg to differ. Invaders of this lovely city should be thrown out with the trash."

"You dare!"

"And your next words would be, 'I will kill you and feast on your dead flesh', right?" she declared with a smug grin

"I will kill you and feast on your dead flesh!" it roared in indignation before being startled by the accuracy of her words.

"Gotcha!" she shouted as she ran straight at it without a care in the world, her mace ready.

"Doesn't matter if you can know my words!" it retorted angrily as it aimed its loaded crossbow at her, "I will kill you!"

"Fubuki, watch out!" warned the tiefling as the bolt was shot. Much to her surprise and everyone else, the bolt passed through her head harmlessly. She then stopped several feet before it as she motioned with her shield hand, gathering more light in her palm.

"Take this!" she yelled as she unleashed the blast of light in its eyes. As it roared in pain, another Fubuki appeared out of thin air and slammed her mace into its scaled throat. It fell over backward, the back of its head crashing to the ground with a loud crack.

"What..." it said hoarsely as it struggled to get up.

"This is the duplicate I made, a blessing of my goddess," stated the second Fubuki, crossing her arms in front as the first sauntered over and draped an arm around her shoulders, "Superstition is her name and she is a helpful one. Much more helpful than a simple mirror image. You never had a chance."

"You..."

"Oi, swamp breath."

The half-black dragon spun around, only to find a crossbow bolt burying itself in the back of its throat. Coughing and gagging, it collapsed to its knees and fell over. Okayu lowered her heavy crossbow and sighed in relief. "Well, I think we better evacuate," she stated as she slumped back on the ground.

"I doubt there will be relief so soon," stated the fox girl seriously, "I saw a black dragon flying in the distance using its acid breath on something."

"Ah, that might be Subaru," stated the tiefling. Getting shocked expressions, she explained, "We got separated… and she shouted about going to the palace alone to distract the cult leader."

"Ah... I wanna go..." moaned Korone in despair, "My dragon fingers..."

"You two are injured. If anything, I have to get you two out of here," stated Fubuki as she helped the cat girl up.

"Yeah… I wouldn't say no to healing," agreed the city hunter.

"Alright! I'll help you out then go look for Subaru and get my fingers!" declared the dog girl as she supported her best friend.

"I better get going," added Choco as she moved on, "Who knows what Subaru is getting into right now?"

* * *

"Incoming!"

Noel ducked behind the paparet again. She could hear the hissing of the acid as it ate through the stone. Peering around, she could hear more yipping and squealing of excitement from the kobolds. Three half-black dragons were directing them around. A yell. A pot crashed on the paparet, unleashing a swarm of rot grubs. One knight hurriedly dumped a bucket of pitch on them while another tossed a torch, lighting up the swarm. She grit her teeth as she replayed the events through her head. They appeared without warning, suddenly taking out the lookouts on the walls with pots of acid and rot grubs. It was quick thinking that successfully contained the spread of the swarms and the subsequent use of ladders but now they had to contend with the siege of acid, grubs, and the occasional bottle of alchemical fire.

"How in the world did these damn things get a hold of so much?" she wondered as a sudden fire of fire forced her to move and take cover in another spot. She then got out and kicked down another ladder that was set up, sending it crashing on another squad of kobolds.

Then, a familiar bird suddenly landed next to her cover. It was a robin. Thinking back all those days, she didn't need it to speak to know it was the same one that told her of the orc siege. She grinned eagerly, figuring out that help was going to come.

"Hold the line!" she yelled out, intent on lifting the hearts of her men, "Help is on the way!"

* * *

The black bear plodded behind Flare as she scanned the battlefield. The enemy hasn't seen them yet. Aki stepped to her side and said, "I believe she got the message."

"Thank you," the half-elf replied. Turning around, she addressed the hunters while raising her hand, "Draw!"

They nocked their arrows and pulled back.

"Fire!"

They released the arrows and holstered their bows over their shoulders as they pulled out their swords. Surprised snarls and yips were heard as many kobolds fell to the arrows. Flare then got on Kinpatsu and shouted, "Attack!" She led the charge, taking the besieging forces by surprise.

"What will you have us do, great druid," asked a group of elves that didn't join the charge.

Aki smiled before she spun her staff in a circle several times, chanting in a low voice. Slamming the butt of her focus on the ground, eight pixies materialized around them. She then asked, "My friends, could you please help us?"

"Sure, Aki!" spoke the fey at once and they tossed magical dust over the elves, polymorphing them into giant apes.

"Go, my friends. Lend aid to your allies," she declared as she gestured to the battlefield. The lead ape roared and all eight ran to help their friends and allies in the fight.

* * *

"This way!" shouted Haato as she directed rescue efforts, shepherding the women and children and the sickly to the docks. Her father and the veteran mercs were in the thick of it, fully committed to driving back the sudden invasion.

"They're breaking through- argh!"

Her breath got caught in her throat when one of the men got overwhelmed by a swarm of worms. The squad mage immediately cast Burning Hands to burn off the grubs and the squad cleric cast Restoration to take care of any infestation. The burnt merc was dragged away just as the barricade they set up exploded as several kobolds and a half-black dragon charged through.

"Repel invaders!" she shouted, getting several mercs to rally and charge.

At the same time, a commotion occurred behind the group of dragon-blooded attackers. A large minotaur was tossing kobolds aside as it charged through. Behind it was a fighter dressed in pink and an archer taking potshots at the kobolds as they went past. With the attackers pincered together, they were taken down quickly.

"Thanks for the assistance!" exclaimed Haato as she moved to shake their hands.

"You're welcome," said the archer as she took her hand, "I'm Matsuri and this is Princess Luna and her bodyguard."

"Ah, I'm sorry that you came at a bad time," apologized the merc noble, "Is your entourage safe, your majesty?"

"Ah, I do not mind times like these and my people are as safe as can be, Luna says," stated the princess with a curtsey.

"Umm, okay..." she muttered, wondering why the princess referred to herself in third person. A Loud roar broke through the air as an adult black dragon soared over the city.

"Fools! I shall claim the city in the name of Dorgriaz!" it roared as it stopped to hover over them, it's great wings flapping up a storm, "Now, what would happen if the young ones of the city should perish in the defense?"

"Come down here and try, dragon!" she shouted in retort while every able-bodied merc readied their weapons and magic.

It laughed and said, "Such foolish bravery, I-"

Several loud booms interrupted its declaration as several cannonballs slammed into its side.

"WHO DID THAT!" it roared as the hovering wavered, the pain disrupting its flying.

"AHOY! I WANT A DRAGON SKIN JACKET!"

Haato gaped and her eyes bulged in surprise. A ship was sailing around the harbor, its cannons aimed directly at the dragon. It flew a black flag at the mast. It had a black and white heart with white outlines with an arrow piercing it. And in front of the heart was a grinning skull. Pirates. But why would pirates help the port? Unless they wanted to raid the place and the dragon beat them to it… Well, she couldn't look a gift horse in the face now, could she?

"Shoot it down!" she ordered as she made the decision to fight back, consequences be damned. This was her city and she will do all she could to defend it.

**AN: Hello, readers. Hmm, looks like Subaru's gamble worked. However, that means a very angry ancient black dragon is chasing after her. Well, good luck with that. Meanwhile, Rushia met with Towa, who had dismantled an attacking force by herself. Or so she thought. And we get the re-introduction of the shambling mound with the stench, with its own name 'sewer shambler'. As noted before, it's just a shambling mound with a Stench of a DC 12 Con save... maybe should increase the DC just because it survived.**

**Anyway, Choco encountered Okayu and Korone taking out another attacking force led by a half-black dragon with some spellcasting capability. And then, I finally figured out how to give Fubuki a Stand-like effect. I didn't use it before because... well, I figured it would last too long against acid breath in the swamp. Now? Heh, its time to be awesome. No battlecries or throwing punches. Just pure misdirection and predicting what the opponent is going to say.**

**Finally, big stuff that's happening elsewhere. Specifically, Fort Viridis and Port Huan Tuo.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Faster than before but this time, I didn't have any battles to simulate. That may change though. Next chapter, we take a peek at... hmm... who else is still around... Pekora and Miko would have already left... Mio is on that island... eh, we'll see.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

"The gates are falling!"

As the words were uttered, the wooden gates, one of the only things keeping out the enemy, fell as they splintered and burned. The town militia looked helplessly as the kobolds flowed through the opening that the scale sorcerers and the half-black dragons created.

"Protect your homes!" shouted Roboco as Shion sent a fireball at the gates, blowing up most of the kobolds. She was thankful that the traveling adventurers had decided to stop by her new hometown.

"Ah-ha!" exclaimed Aqua as she smacked one in the head with her belaying pin. She then used that and her rapier to lock blades with one of the half-dragons.

As it started to say something, the prosthetic-laden archer shot two arrows into its mouth and throat. A gargled roar later, the former sailor jammed her rapier into the roof of its mouth to kill it. Roboco then rolled to the side when a pot of acid crashed into where she used to stand. She then shot two arrows and killed two other kobolds that were running at her.

A sudden commotion at the gate drew her attention. A half-oni had suddenly appeared and proceeded to challenge the lead half-black dragon, and was now dueling it with two swords, one of which was on fire.

She smiled, suddenly feeling confident that the town could overcome this attack. She drew her bow back and killed two more kobolds, stopping them from throwing lit torches at the houses.

* * *

Coco ran through the streets. The explosions took her by surprise, but she kept a level head and ran through the streets, looking for the city's citizens to help. What people she could find, she helped direct them to the gates, where she assumed was where they haven't bombed or blown up yet. As much as she wanted to shed her disguise, she had to maintain it as to not attract attention. Not to mention the ancient black dragon she saw in the air earlier. She knew he was far stronger than she was and so, that left her with other avenues to aid the city. So, she was thankful when she saw the River Dragons gang helping out some of them too.

" _At least Dojima is keeping to his word_ ," she thought as she rounded the corner, where she found a peculiar thing. Some of the River Dragons were being surrounded and attacked by civilians. The attackers were looking clumsy and uncoordinated, as if they were being mind-controlled. She looked around carefully and she saw several cloaked figures in an alley. Taking out her lyre, she started singing, directing her song at the figures. Suddenly, a twisting pattern of colors filled the space the figures occupied. When the colors disappeared, the figures slouched over a little, as if in a trance. At the same moment, the attackers snapped out of it.

"What just happened?" asked one of the Dragons.

"Over there," she pointed out, "I think they tried to enthrall these people to stop you guys."

"Ah… mind helping them out while we give some payback?"

She grinned and replied, "Certainly. Have fun, guys."

She continued on her way through the now twisting paths of the city. However, as she continued down a different road, a large caravan suddenly thundered past her.

There was only one horse and it seemed to be out of control. She could barely hear someone shrieking… and then the wagon crashed into one of the houses. She hurried over to check it out. The door burst open and several ladies scrambled out of the wrecked caravan. Three were human. The other was an angel, who turned to the driver's seat and shouted, "What in the world happened, Watame!? You almost killed us!"

A sheep girl stumbled out of the wrecked house, seemingly unscathed, saying woozily, "Watame did nothing wrong..." She then fell backward unconscious.

"Hello, are you alright?" the dragonborn asked as she made her way over.

"We are fine, if not bruised all over," replied the one with tribal markings on her face, "Maybe you can tell us if there is any place safe?"

"Ah, well, it's this way," she explained as she gave them proper directions.

"Ah, thank you so much!" gushed the one with a red hair ornament.

"Right, let's get the troupe to the gate then, Sora," stated the first one as both of them thanked her.

Meanwhile, the third human who had a blue hair ribbon asked the angel to carry Watame.

"Ha? Why me?" the latter asked.

"Because, Kanata, you are the strongest among us," reasoned the former.

"Aw, c'mon. It was just one time. I didn't mean to knock the man out, Suisei," complained the angel as she picked up the sheep girl in a fireman carry.

Soon after Coco sent them on their way, she was greeted by a familiar voice.

"Coco!" shouted Choco as she waved her over.

"Thank the gods I found you," she replied as she jogged up to the tiefling. Enticing that the cleric was the only one present, "Wait, where are your friends, Subaru and Rushia?"

After getting filled in on what happened, she clicked her tongue and muttered, "Is that so? We better hurry up and find them. Who knows what could have happened in the meantime."

* * *

_Oh! My! Gods! What was I thinking!? Why did I have to do this!? I know I wanted to stop him from killing the king, but this is too much! I did it, but at what cost!? I don't wanna die! I wanna see my Mama again! I want to see my father! I want to tell them about the rest of my adventures! Please, whichever god is hearing this, please help me stay alive! I want to see my family again!_

* * *

Subaru ran for her life, making sure to duck into alleyways just to dodge the acid breath and more surprisingly, acid arrows and flame bolts. However, it started to feel like she was being herded around as the projectiles and the breath started being shot in front of instead of trailing after her. Alleys got blocked up by rubble. Roads got damaged as she tried to avoid getting hit. She didn't know how long she ran, but she felt confident she held his attention and led him away from the king. However, all that came to an end when she ran to a junction that was turned into a cul-de-sac by the explosions that ripped through the city. One road seemed traversable but it would be difficult and would take too much time. The other two were fully blocked with rubble.

The sound of beating wings caused her to turn around. She couldn't tell earlier, but the dragon was gigantic. Its huge frame, including its wings, filled the road and left little space to slip through. And she was trapped with it. She felt scared but she still unsheathed her longsword and turned to face him.

"So, little rat, have you finished playing hide and seek?" Dorgriaz sneered out in a deep, threatening voice, "Will you finally lay down and die like the coward you are?"

"I am not a coward," she protested loudly, her grip on her sword tightening.

"Then tell me, rat, what sort of coward kills my sons," he growled out.

"I had no idea," she confessed, "I didn't know that they were yours… but… if you only had them to aid you in taking over the capital, then it was probably for the best."

"INSOLENCE!" he roared, "I shall take my pound of flesh! With Interest!" He then proceeded to swipe at her with his giant clawed hand. She raised her shield but they were fast for their size and they raked her shield arm, slicing through, drawing blood.

"Subaru!" the fighter heard someone shout. Glancing over to the obstacle-ridden road, her eyes widened as she spotted, of all people, Rushia, trying to traverse the road. Looking back to the dragon, she saw that he also noticed the young necromancer. His eyes narrowed and his leg took a step forward.

"Rushia! Duck down!" she shouted as she ran for the young girl. The dragon spun around, its tail crashing through the row of buildings, aimed at her. She reached her just as the tail burst through. She grabbed the girl just as the tail slammed into her, sending her back into the cul-de-sac with her friend. She rolled and bounced on the cobblestone ground and came to a halt in the middle of it. "Guh, are you alright?" she groaned out.

"Pitiful rat," the black dragon sneered, "I will enjoy your rotting corpse."

"What are you doing?" she asked as Rushia unhooked the flask from her belt.

"Choco not here. Need help," the latter muttered as she took off the stopper and released the lich.

"Hmm, I see," it stated as it looked around and turned to face the dragon, "I see you have done well for yourself, Dorgriaz."

""...Well, well, so this is what happened to the undead reinforcements," he growled out, "You were successful, Arbus."

"As you can see, I did," it stated as it gestured to itself, the two humans behind it getting to their feet.

"And now you are enslaved to a rat and a coward," he sneered.

"Debatable. Regardless, I suppose it was inevitable that I come to face you," it stated calmly.

The dragon chuckled and said with a menacing grin, "So it would seem. Let us finish this quickly and put you out of your misery."

"I think you will find that I will be the victor," it replied as it raised a glowing red hand.

"Then, let's settle this… Once And For All!" he declared as it prepared to lunge forward with an open maw. Before he could move, a glob of acid splashed on his eyes, distracting and stopping him. "Who dares!" he roared out.

"We dare!" shouted Coco as she and Choco clambered over the blocked street.

"Ï will crush you all!" he declared angrily as his head reared back and unleashed a roar that sent fear running down everyone's spine.

* * *

A great sense of dread washed over them. All of the living shook at Dorgriaz's frightful presence… except Arbus. The lich had long shed the qualities of the living and thus had very little need for emotions like fear. Still, it did not expect the dragon to come right for it. A smart decision as it was definitely the most dangerous one here.

"Though I barely feel pain, it is still there," it thought as it channeled its power through its hollow sockets. Even if it may not affect the dragon, it may give him pause.

Instead, the dragon laughed and said, "Are you just going to glare at me? Pitiful!"

"Hardly," it replied calmly as he gestured and chanted under its breath. Stretching out its hand, it sent a frigid beam of blue-white light at the dragon's head. At the same time, it heard its daughter… stepdaughter chanting as well and it smirked as necrotic energies splashed against his chest. He roared and turned, the tail swinging around and whipping into them. As injured as she was, the fighter called Subaru was standing there stock still, all in a shiver. Still frightened. A pity. It could have used some brute force to distract the dragon right about now. No matter, as it gestured with hands while chanting, calling out thick green smoke that blanketed the area around the dragon. It then retreated to the blocked street, onto a slightly elevated area, if only to survey the battlefield. It then sent another ray of frost at the dragon's head.

"You think this would stop me!?" he roared arrogantly as his head lunged to take a bite out of Rushia. As frightened as she was, the fighter had the sense to at least help and tried to divert the attack. It didn't do much as the dragon's teeth raked across his stepdaughter's arm. This got him peppered by magic, some hitting, some missing. The dragonborn did most of it with her scorching rays, but the dragon beat its wings and dispersed the death cloud it set and took to hovering in the sky. As it rose in the sky, it chanted for a moment as it pointed its finger at him. A thin green ray sprang out and shot straight at his chest. Unfortunately, the dragon saw what it was doing and flew, dodging the ray.

"Fool! Such a thing cannot- argh!" he roared as it's stepdaughter and the tiefling sent their spells at him during his gloating.

"Yes, yes, where have I heard that before," it droned back as it shot at him with a frost ray.

"I will melt you down," he roared and breathed acid while flying over them, bathing the lich, the fighter, and the young necromancer in it.

It looked on in approval as Subaru tried to protect Rushia. A brave attempt but there was too much acid. Not to mention, the fighter still couldn't get over her fright. Once again, a pity. The dragon roared again as it got peppered by magic while landing. It retaliated with its tail, slamming into the young necromancer's side. Once again, the fighter made a valiant attempt to protect her.

"For a dragon, you're surprisingly unaware," it droned nonchalantly as it raised its finger while chanting, sending a wave of negative energy coursing through the dragon's body. It didn't mind it's stepdaughter's crumpled form, as Choco ran over to her after blessing the other living party members. Even when the tail bashed against her shield, she did not falter. Her shield arm seemed to be having a hard time moving though. Impressive.

Arbus continued to send frost rays at Dorgriaz, the dragonborn peppering him with scorching rays. It found the next actions of the dragon strange, attacking the fighter. Her presence seemed to enrage him now that he was focused on her. Such a peculiarity. Still, such tunnel vision benefited it greatly, as it used the same spell it's stepdaughter with great effect. The constant barrage of spells was slowly taking a toll on the dragon. His scales were slowly losing their gleam, covered with patches of frost, and he moved a little slower than before.

Choco chanted and laid her hands on Rushia, bathing her in warm green light. She took in a sudden breath and the tiefling helped her to her feet. If it could grin, it would.

"You dare stand up again!" roared the ancient black dragon as it lunged forward with a burst of speed, "I will end you here and now!"

The lich had long shed the qualities of the living… but watching the dragon's maw inching near Rushia in slow motion seemed to spark something in it. It knew it wouldn't be possible to reach her in time… but… in life, it was a genius named Arbus. In death, its brilliance magnified, it did the unthinkable. Putting up half its current magical power as sacrifice, it willed itself in front of its stepdaughter and took the full force of the attack.

Teeth and claw rend his body asunder and his thoughts went along the lines of, "I truly am a genius."

**AN: Hello, readers. A scene in Dusktown. Roboco fighting to protect. Thankfully, Shion, Aqua, and now Ayame showed up and proceeded to wreck face. Heh.**

**Coco, running around the city and helping people. First, the River Dragons. They were told not to harm the populace, so they couldn't just outright beat up the civilians stopping their relief efforts. And yuan-ti purebloods have the suggestion spell in their spell list. I think you can piece together what happened from that.**

**Then, the troupe of bards. The one with tribal paint was Azki. The one with the red hair ornament is Sora. So, in this world, they have the same college since they share the same unnamed teacher. Ay or** **A-chan is a djinni in this world and she lives in Sora's mirror.**

Azki / Sora Tokino

Human Bard

College of Glamour

**Blue hair ribbon is Suisei. The college chosen for her, I think matches the 'Sui-copath' well enough.**

Suisei Hochimachi

Human Bard/Fighter multiclass

College of Whispers/Archery Samurai

**Angel is Kanata. Yeah, the combination here is... very strange, but, she's an angel.**

Kanata Amane

Angel Bard/Cleric multiclass

College of Glamour/ Life Domain

**Sheep girl is Watame. She's a tough gal. I would say she survived that crash thanks to her wool that's covering her.**

Watame Tsunomaki

Sheep Kemonomimi Bard

College of Lore

**We also poke the sheep and the angel.**

**And then, the fight. Oh, the fight. This is only two-thirds of the fight, by the way, and since today is a day off, I took the time to simulate the fight and finish this chapter. This part was told from the lich's P.O.V., which we now know is named Arbus. As for his final action... well, final reaction... hmm, I guess we can say... his 'genius' cheating out spells to make them work however he wants them to. Something like a sorcerer's sorcery points, only playing it fast and loose with his spell slots. So, he dimension door-ed himself to save Rushia.**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter. Next chapter, we finish the fight and end the threat of the invasion once and for all.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"PAPA!"

Rushia fell to her knees as her stepfather's body was torn asunder right before her. Subaru, didn't know what to say; on one hand, she was taken aback, surprised even that this evil lich actually did something father-like… something heroic… something good... and protected the young necromancer. On the other, her heart went out to the poor girl. Her father died… again… right in front of her this time. If only she could move! Throughout the whole fight, she just couldn't move. Every time she looked at the dragon, it was as if she was struck with dread. It felt like… she was facing that scarecrow all over again. Her heart beat too fast. Her palms were sweaty, knees weak, and arms heavy. She just couldn't bear getting near that dragon. And then, this happened.

The lich's head landed right in front of the young necromancer, hanging on to the body by a sliver of flesh. "Rushia..." it muttered. The girl scrambled over and cradled the head in her arms.

The dragon burst out laughing, "What is this!? You would give your unlife away for a little human girl? Pathetic!"

"Young one… my student," it uttered, its voice getting weaker by the second, "Why do you cry?" True enough, small rivulets of water were making tracks down her cheeks.

"Papa..." she whimpered and she hugged the head close to her chest. Her eyes closed as the flow of water increased.

"There is no need for tears," it continued as the remnants of his power suddenly pooled around his head and went up her arms, "You have done much and have already made me proud."

"Dorgriaz!" shouted Coco as she opened her mouth wide to use her own breath attack, breathing acid over his body.

"Are you trying to tickle me, whelp?" he taunted, his arrogance renewed as he whipped his tail around, striking her in the face and rattling her skull.

"We can still do this!" shouted Subaru with encouragement. As frightened as she was, she needed to keep a brave face, not for herself but for the others. She cried out in pain as the tail continued to swing and slammed into her side.

"Weaklings and cowards! You lost the moment Arbus gave up his unlife!" Dorgriaz declared triumphantly.

"Now, take what I have left… and destroy that dragon," ended the lich, whatever power it had left was now swirling around her body and entering it, fueling and revitalizing her. It was then that her hair had gone fully pink. She blinked, looking at her now empty hands. Slowly, she got to her feet, her head bowed and her bangs casting a shadow over her eyes.

Her head tilted up and her red eyes glared at the ancient dragon. Then, she chanted as she motioned to grab at the dragon's head, "Maledictus oculus."

Dorgriaz took one look at her and promptly slumped over and fell asleep.

"...So, he hasn't been getting enough sleep," joked Coco as she looked incredulously at the sight while Choco healed Subaru.

"Will you be alright now?" asked the tiefling as the ancient dragon started to snore.

"I know he's sleeping. I can see he's sleeping," stated the fighter as her knees continued to shake, "I just keep feeling this fear when I see him, telling me to run."

"Ready spells," announced the young necromancer before starting to chant. The other two spellcasters agreed and started chanting too.

As if following a sign, they unleashed their magic at the same time. Fire, necrotic, and holy energies lit up his head, waking him up roaring in agony. It was the combined effort of these casters that finally brought the mighty dragon down. She saw it with her own eyes; his head evaporating like it was nothing. She then turned her back on him and fell to her knees, her breath and her beating heart finally calming down. The cleric, who was standing behind her, now in front of her, knelt down and chanted as she held her hand over her head. She could feel her spirits lift up.

"Well, I think it's time to inform the city that Dorgriaz is dead," said Choco with a smile.

* * *

_Honestly, I felt useless. I couldn't do anything. I just stood there, scared out of my wits. I wanted so much to help, but I couldn't. Fear had a strong grip on my heart. I.. didn't feel worthy._

_This heavy feeling in my heart persisted when we went to see the king together. He pretty much declared a week of celebration._

_It still felt heavy when he gave us a large house as a reward. Well, to me. Choco said she wanted to continue traveling. Coco would be leaving after a few days to Draconerica. So, that left Rushia to share ownership of the house with me._

_This feeling persisted when the celebrations began. I really didn't know what to think of it. Half the capital was in shambles, so they only had open-air celebrations at night while repairing the city during the day. Makes sense._

_..._

_I think I want to go home now._

* * *

"Are you okay, Subaru?" asked Rushia.

It was the second day and the two were waiting for the other two. They were sitting at a table and a few blocks away, a stage had been set up. This was along the main road that led up to the palace, which meant the common folk, the nobility, and the Crown were able to watch the performances freely. The whole street was lined with torches, making it well lit even if it was night.

"Not really… I just feel like I don't deserve all those rewards," she admitted as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Don't say that. You do deserve it," admonished the girl lightly.

"But I froze up when we fought Dorgriaz. How-"

"Even if you froze up when facing him, you protected us. You protected me," she interrupted, "Thanks to you and Choco, we survived long enough to put an end to the cult. So, don't say that. You did as much as Choco and me."

Subaru stared at her for a moment. Then, she sighed with relief and gave her a wry grin, "I guess… I think I needed that. I still feel that way but… now it doesn't bother me that much. Thanks, Rushia. Funny though, that's the longest amount of time you spent talking so far."

This caused the young girl to blush in silence. Inwardly, she exclaimed at how cute she looked right now.

"Here we are!" exclaimed Choco joyfully as she and Coco brought food and drink to the table, "Enough talking. Let's eat."

"...I want to go home after this," Subaru suddenly told them after a few minutes of eating, getting confused gazes.

"You mean your house?" asked the tiefling, "You're not feeling well?"

"No, I mean go back home, in Isshoudai," explained the fighter, "I just… well, I think I have had enough of exploring the world and just want to go back to a normal life."

"...Well, if that's what you want," the dragonborn replied understandingly, "Not everyone is cut out for this in the long run."

The tiefling nodded in agreement, "Sooner or later, adventurers eventually have to settle down. Some more than others. If you feel like you had your fill, that's a good enough reason to stop."

"Ah, thanks I guess," she muttered bashfully. She was glad though, that they understood. They must have seen a lot of people come and go in the adventuring life.

"The show is starting," reminded the young necromancer.

One by one, five bards took the stage, all girls. The first one had pink tribal markings on her face which was framed with lovely long bangs.

"Eh? They are performing?" questioned Coco aloud, sounding off in disbelief.

The second had back length hair decorated with a gold hair clip with two red feathers sticking out upwards.

"Do you know them?" asked Subaru as she pointed to the stage.

The third had a blue ribbon with white stripes tied to her side-tail.

"I helped them out when their caravan crashed into a house..." the dragonborn replied as she trailed off.

The fourth was an angel. She had a four-sided star on tilt on the right side and a blue lock of hair on the left side of her head.

"...What?" the fighter muttered incredulously.

The fifth was sheep girl. She had two small pink ornaments and two ribbons in her hair. A small cowlick peeked out from the top of her head. Over her shoulders, she wore a white cape with yellow highlights.

"Shh, they're starting," hushed the tiefling.

They wore white costumes with color highlights except for the one with the tribal markings, who was in a black and red costume. She started it off, surprising them by how far the sound could reach, "Hello, everyone! Is everyone doing alright this fine evening?" This was replied with applause and cheers.

"I am Azki!"

"Sora!"

"Suisei!"

"Kanata!"

"Watame!"

"And we are Siren Song!" the five of them declared in unison to more cheers and applause of the audience. They waved at everyone and basked in the adoration for a moment. At the same time, a female djinni wearing a black silk shirt floated in behind them. Subaru looked at her in confusion, wondering what she was doing there.

"Today, we are here to celebrate victory! We are here to thank the valiant defenders of the city as well as the hard-working people that are currently rebuilding it. It is time to sit back and make merry. Please enjoy our performance!" declared Azki as the five bards bowed to the audience, getting loud cheers from everyone.

Sora then turned around and nodded to the djinni, who started gesturing with her hands. Suddenly, musical instruments flew out from below the stage and positioned behind the bards. The djinni motioned and started to act as a conductor. The wonderful, harmonious music that magically reached the ears of everyone present. The fighter was astounded. And then, they sang.

"Forever I will love you, take my hand and kiss me,  
You will always be in my mind, oh, my precious memory..."

She was very glad to have watched this with her friends.

* * *

_It had been an interesting three days. Choco had said her goodbyes and left yesterday. Coco got in touch with a conjuration master at that 'Might and Magic' school about a teleportation circle. I had no problem helping to pay for it a.k.a. Making a generous donation to the school. I may be a thousand gold poorer… but I didn't want to walk all the way to Huan Tuo and suddenly get attacked by bandits or monsters or whatever remnants of the cult that may be still out there._

_I just… well, I just want to get back to Isshoudai as soon as I can._

* * *

"I'll miss you, Subaru," said Rushia as she hugged the fighter and received a head pat in return.

"I'll miss you too," replied the latter, and then passed the iron flask to her, "Goodbye, Rushia. I never got to say sorry about your father. So, here. Take this with you."

A sniffle later, the former muttered, hugging the flask to her chest, "Thank you, Subaru."

"I'd hate to break this up but Master Conjurer Hirto is almost done," spoke up Coco as she motioned to the conjuration master that was busy drawing out the intricately-drawn out teleportation circle in the middle of the room.

"Alright… I'm ready," said the fighter. As the master finished drawing the circle and the final word uttered, a shimmering blue portal materialized. Waving goodbye to Rushia, she and Coco then stepped through the portal… and exited to an enclosed room.

"Ah, so you're the ones traveling here," muttered a wizened old man, balding with a grey beard, "Alright, now that you're here safely... if you're not here to buy anything, get out of my shop." He pointed to a door.

"Yeesh, grumpy guy isn't he," muttered the dragonborn with a frown as the two of them walked out of the shop. Apparently, it was the enchanter's shop.

"Well, I guess we part ways here," she continued, turning to face the fighter, "I need to walk down the beach to find my way off. Goodbye, Subaru, and thank you for your help in defeating Dorgriaz."

"I hardly did anything though..." the human protested.

"You helped protect your friend. That was more than enough," she refuted, "Now, goodbye."

Subaru watched her walk away, disappearing into the crowd. She took a deep breath and exhaled. Knowing what she needed to do, she sought out the harbormaster's office to book passage on a boat to the island. It seemed to be her lucky day as she got hold of a boat that was leaving for it in a few minutes. With a smile, she sought it out and boarded it. Seating herself on the railing, her mind flashed back to the first time she went on a boat. All those days ago, when Choco suddenly landed on the boat and frightened her.

Soon, the bot slowly sailed out of the harbor and moved on the high seas. She didn't know how long they had been sailing. It was peaceful so far and suddenly, she heard a loud roar… a dragon. Looking up in surprise and fear, she saw a gargantuan dragon in the sky. It seemed to be flying parallel to the direction of the sailing ship. It also looked to be coming nearer to the ship at the same time. As it drew near, she could see its gleaming copper scales. Her eyes strayed near its head and she gasped. One of its horns had a black and white ribbon.

"...Coco?" she muttered to herself in surprise.

The dragon winked at her and rose into the sky, disappearing behind the clouds. She shook her head, unable to believe what she just saw. Then, she giggled and shook her head. She figured that no matter what dragon, they probably want to flaunt themselves a little. She then focused ahead, looking out for the island. She was going home. She wouldn't have it any other way.

**AN: Hello, readers. We have reached the finale. Dorgriaz has been slain. Rushia now has her second costume. And Korone has access to dragon fingers. Here is the rest of the battle. Also, and I only realized this after writing the aftermath, I totally forgot about Bardic Inspiration during the simulation. Since saving throws are d20, I could have totally had Coco give Bardic Inspiration to Subaru to help get over the Dorgriaz's DC19 Frightful Presence. But I forgot. And I really didn't want to redo the whole simulation again so it stays as it is. Not to mention that all the Wisdom rolls she had were very, very low, so I'm not really sure if it made a difference. However, I think it did give me a way to end her adventure.**

**The aftermath of the battle. Subaru and her party are rewarded with a house in the city. However, with everyone pretty much going their separate ways, the house will be given to Rushia. And we have a performance by Siren Song. Azki, Sora Tokino, Suisei Hoshimachi, Kanata Amane, and Watame Tsunomaki. As for the song they performed... type into your preferred search engine 'hololive ochame kinou'.**

**Subaru gets to Huan Tuo in record time. Booked passage. Saw dragon. Yes, that was Coco. In her true form. There was a reason why she had to go to the beach, ya know?**

**Alright, this is it for this chapter.** **Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


	40. Chapter 40

Epilogue

Subaru stepped on the wooden harbor and looked around. Barely anything has changed. Other than a few fishing boats, there wasn't anything else at the harbor. She smiled, getting a good feeling. She proceeded to walk all the way to the entrance to the town. Passing by the harbormaster's office, she glanced inside and waved at the old man inside. He stopped skimming through the ledger and bolted out of his seat, heading to the doorway.

"What in the name of… you're back!?" he exclaimed as he leaned out, surprised clearly seen on his wrinkled face.

"Hello, Old Man Saru!" she greeted as she turned around, walking backward for a moment before facing front again.

"Stop calling me that!" he shouted loudly in retort, but with a grin on his face.

At the town square, she waved at Sargeant Yu as she walked past. He raised an eyebrow and just nodded at her. She gave him a brief salute and carried on.

Subaru paused and made a brief detour to the teahouse. She found Mio sweeping the steps with a broom. The wolf lady nearly dropped the broom in surprise but she kept her calm and beamed at the former guard. "Well, if it isn't Subaru. Welcome back," she greeted brightly.

"Hello, Mio," replied the fighter, "I'm back for good."

"Ah, had enough exploring?" the tea lady asked.

"Yeah… I'll tell you later. Just wanted to see you before I go home," the latter informed.

"Ah," nodded the cleric in understanding and replied good-naturedly, "Well, you shouldn't keep them waiting. Off with you."

"See you later, Mama Mio," she said before walking off, the wolf lady waving goodbye.

Half an hour later, she reached the family home. Slowly, she walked past the open fields, now bare as the harvest had already been taken in. Stepping up to the main door, she knocked a few times. She waited patiently. She could hear soft steps coming closer and the door opened. Stern-looking faces broke out in smiles.

"Father, Mama, I'm home," she greeted as she returned their smiles.

"Welcome home, Subaru."

**AN: Hello, readers. Thank you for coming along with me on this helluva ride. I will be coming back to Hololive crossovers later, but I want to finish the megacrossover I paused when I came up with this fic. If you want to see me mess with Grail Wars by replacing some Servants with gaming heroes and villains, come take a peek. If that's not your cup of tea, well, I guess you'll have to wait until Wanderlust 2 appears. I can see it taking a lot more characters, with Holostars, HoloCN, HoloID, HoloEN, and Hololive Gen 5 vtubers making appearances.**

**Until next time, thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.**


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